Tech giant Google has furthered its commitment to the economic empowerment of women in Africa by establishing a grant worth $25-million in the new Global Impact Challenge (GIC) for women and girls.
Alistair Mokoena, Google South Africa country director quotes the Foresight Africa report 2021 with direct reference to the importance of supporting women and the impact the pandemic has had on equality.
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“It confirms that the coronavirus has ‘exacerbated already-existing gender inequalities, laying bare serious fault lines in safety, physical and mental health, education, domestic responsibilities, and employment opportunities”.
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The Global Impact Challenge
The challenge provides $25-million in cash grants to non-profit organisations and social enterprises that are aimed at improving the livelihoods of women and girls’ lives.
“As economies and societies rebuild, we need bold new ideas that will propel us forward. We can’t afford to go back to the way things were, and we certainly can’t do it alone,” adds Mokoena
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An all-female panel of expert Google executives and world and business leaders, including Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women; Victoria Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on SDGs; Graça Machel, Founder, Graça Machel Trust; and Juliana Rotich, Kenyan information technology entrepreneur, will preside over the application review and selection process once applications close.
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According to reports, the selected grantees will be announced later this year and stand a chance of receiving grant funding ranging from $300 000 to $2-million. In addition, selected participants will receive capacity-building support along with mentorship from Google.
“We have a collective responsibility to ensure that generations of women and girls from all walks of life—no matter their race, sexual orientation, religion, or socioeconomic status—live in a world where they are treated equally and can realize their full potential. When women and girls have the tools, resources, and opportunities to turn their potential into power, it not only changes the trajectory of their individual lives but also strengthens entire communities. If we lift up women and girls, the rest of the world will rise, too,” Mokoena concludes.
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