RFAs: Technical Assistance for Private Enterprises to tackle Gender Digital Divide

They aspire to shift the trajectory of digital ecosystems so that women and marginalized populations, including youth and young women, disabled, indigenous, LGBTQI+, and rural women, have equitable access to safe, affordable, and meaningful online participation.

This open, competitive award will provide the selected private sector enterprises with bespoke technical assistance to optimize and scale a solution that:

• Drives digital inclusion of women through meaningful access to and use of accessible digital technology, particularly smartphones and the internet.
• Significantly closes the gender digital divide in their context.
• Is commercially sustainable and scalable.

Priority Areas

• Improved access to affordable devices and online experiences
  • Increase women’s access to the internet and internet-enabled devices, and ensure that devices, digitally enabled services, including digital finance, and data are affordable, reliable, secure, and accessible, including for users with disabilities.
• Increased availability of relevant products and tools
  • Design, develop, and provide access to relevant products and tools (interfaces, voice technologies, applications, digitally enabled services) that meet women’s needs and facilitate women’s demand for and use of mobile devices and applications, particularly smartphones, internet, and other technologies, especially for income-generation purposes.
• Elevating digital literacy and skills
  • Strengthen women’s digital skills and literacy, including media literacy, so that they can fully and safely access digital services, and participate and lead in digital spaces, including the digital economy.
• Enhancing safety and security
  • Address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including genderbased online harassment and abuse, and strengthen safeguards for digital user protection, including on consumer financial protection, data protection, cyber security, fraud, and risk mitigation.

Benefits

• WiDEF will provide selected applicants with technical assistance for up to two years to support their efforts to address the gender digital divide.
• Here are a few illustrative examples of types of bespoke technical assistance:
  • Research
    • Example: to understand the barriers and needs of underserved segments of women to inform actions to better reach and support these women with specific products​ and/or services
  • Evaluation
    • Example: to assess the success of existing products or services for women to inform changes/replication
  • User testing/design
    • Example: specific approaches​, products, or ​services to ensure they best meet the needs of underserved women
  • Product adaptation/iteration
    • Example: through analysis of service usage data, user feedback and further design research
  • Business modelling or support for scaling planning

Eligibility Criteria

• They invite applications for technical assistance that meet the following criteria:
  • The applicant is a large private sector enterprise (with >249 employees).
  • The solution is focused on digital inclusion and closing the gender digital divide.
  • The applicant clearly articulates how it aims to scale a proven solution to effectively address barriers preventing women from accessing and/or using the internet in the proposed location, while mitigating any potential negative impacts.
  • The solution integrates at least two of the WiDEF priority areas above, in addition to generating gender disaggregated data and insights.
  • The applicant is able to provide evidence that the solution can increase women’s adoption or increased usage of the internet and internet-enabled products and services, and help close the gender digital divide.
  • The proposed solution can be commercially sustainable and scalable.
  • A demonstrated commitment to supporting gender equality and the inclusion of underserved customers.
  • A presence in the country and/or local partnerships to deliver the solution on the ground.
  • The applicant is able to clearly articulate where technical assistance is required and how it will be used to deliver the proposed impact.
• WiDEF strongly encourages applications from firms with female leaders/founders or board members, and a good representation of women at all levels of the company.

For more information, visit WiDEF.