- GSMA mWomen
Frequently asked questions about our Innovation Fund grants for NGOs
We were glad so many of you were able to join us last week at our webinars on the Innovation Fund grants for NGOs and social enterprises. For those who missed the events, you can catch up on what we covered with the recording here and you can download the pre...
- GSMA mWomen
Understanding Gender and Mobile Matters: The First London Technology Salon
This is a guest blog written by Ronda Zelezny-Green, the Knowledge Manager for the GSMA mEducation team and U.S. Fulbright Student Scholar to Kenya, 2013-2014. This post also contains anonymised commentary from event attendees. The very first Tech Salon to ...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen awards Tigo Tanzania with its first Innovation Fund Grant
We are delighted to announce Millicom’s Tigo Tanzania as the recipient of the inaugural GSMA mWomen Innovation Fund grant. Tigo Tanzania, which also has received grant funding from GSMA mAgri’s mFarmer programme, aims to identify products and services t...
- GSMA mWomen
Interview with Raphael Mutiso, our Design Challenge Emerging Talent winner
Why did you enter the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge? I am passionate about user experience design and product innovation. The research findings indicated a serious mobile phone gender gap which needed to be addressed. I wanted to make a positive impact on th...
- GSMA mWomen
Interview with Aloke Pillai, our Design Challenge Second Prize winner
Why did you enter the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge? I did it to challenge myself. Having spent most of my time in the Middle East and in Canada, my perception of world issues is kind of jaded. This was an opportunity for me to create something with empathy ...
- GSMA mWomen
UN Broadband Commission sets new gender target: getting more women connected to ICTs ‘critical’ to post-2015 development agenda
Anne Bouverot, Director-General GSMA, presents the GSMA mWomen initiative at the first meeting of the Working Group on 16 March, 2013, in Mexico City. Broadband access key to meeting gender-related MDGs Commissioners gathered for the 7th meeting of the...
- GSMA mWomen
Interview with our Design Challenge Grand Prize winners
At Mobile World Congress 2013, we announced the winners of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, which aimed to aims to redefine the smartphone user experience for resource-poor women in emerging markets. ‘Sahel Shake,’ by Jeremy Canfield, Sarah Fathallah and ...
- GSMA mWomen
Asiacell wins GSMA mWomen Global Mobile Award for ‘Almas Line’
We’re delighted to congratulate Asiacell, Iraq’s second largest operator, which this week won the Global Mobile Award for Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets for its Almas Line product conceived for, and sold exclusively to, Iraqi ...
- GSMA mWomen
Sahel Shake wins Grand Prize in GSMA mWomen Design Challenge
Today, with our partners Qtel Group, USAID and AusAID, we are thrilled to announce the winners of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, which aims to redefine the smartphone user experience for resource-poor women in emerging markets. For their design, ‘Sahel...
- GSMA mWomen
New report finds women are an underserved market for mobile financial services
Today, our latest report, Unlocking the Potential: Women and Mobile Financial Services in Emerging Markets, released in partnership with Visa Inc, shows that women in developing countries represent a significant underserved market and commercial opportunity fo...
- GSMA mWomen
Series Wrap-Up: Empowering Women with Mobile Money
This is written by Doug Sabo, Head of Corporate Responsibility, Visa. This post originally appeared here. Next week, Visa, the GSMA mWomen Programme and Bankable Frontier Associates (BFA) will release research that explores the opportunities for mobile ...
- GSMA mWomen
Join GSMA mWomen at Mobile World Congress 2013!
For those at Mobile World Congress this week, join the GSMA mWomen Seminar, ‘Unlocking the Potential,’ on Tuesday 26 February at 12:00-15:00. More details are below. GSMA mWomen Seminar: Unlocking the potential Tuesday, 26 February,12:00-14:00, Hall...
- GSMA mWomen
From GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Maura O’Neill on the importance of good user experience design
In the final instalment in our series of interviews with our selection panelists, Maura O’Neill, Chief Innovation Officer and Senior Counselor to the Administrator, USAID, discusses the importance of good user experience design. If you’re headed to Mobile ...
- GSMA mWomen
From GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Erik Meijer on good mobile user experience design and its potential
Erik Meijer, Director and Chief Commercial Officer, Indosat and member of the Design Challenge selection panel, will be speaking at the GSMA mWomen Seminar, ‘Meeting Women’s Wants & Needs Through Mobile,’ at Mobile World Congress next week, where the...
- GSMA mWomen
From GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Ann Mei Chang on successful user experience design
There’s less than a week until we announce the winners of our Design Challenge next Tuesday 26 February 2013 at our Seminar in Barcelona. In the next of a series of interviews with our selection panelists, Ann Mei Chang, Senior Advisor for Women and Technolo...
- GSMA mWomen
From GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Gabriel White on the benefits of good user experience design
As we build to the announcement of the winners of the Design Challenge next Tuesday 26 February 2013 and in the next of a series of interviews with our selection panelists, Gabriel White, User Experience Designer, Small Surfaces, discusses the benefits of good...
- GSMA mWomen
From GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Erik Hersman on what makes for good user experience design
As we build to the announcement of the winners of the Design Challenge next Tuesday 26 February 2013 and in the next of a series of interviews with our selection panelists, Erik Hersman, Technologist and Blogger, Co-founder of Ushahidi and founder of AfriGadge...
- GSMA mWomen
Meet the UX Champion: Shikoh Gitau
In the next of a series of interviews with our selection panellists, Shikoh Gitau, User Experience Researcher, Google, shares her thoughts on what user experience is and the importance of designing it well. What is User Experience? A common misconcep...
- GSMA mWomen
Meet the UX Champion: Indrani Medhi
In the next of a series of interviews with our selection panellists, Indrani Medhi, Associate Researcher, Microsoft, shares her thoughts on why user experience design is important. Why is user experience design so important? With the explosion of devices...
- GSMA mWomen
Nominees for GSMA mWomen Global Mobile Award Announced
The GSMA today announced nominees for the 18th annual Global Mobile Awards. We’re delighted to share the nominees for the GSMA mWomen Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets award are: Asiacell for Almas Line Etisalat, Qualcomm...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA Design Challenge Finalists Announced!
The GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, sponsored by Qtel Group, in partnership with USAID and AusAID, aims to redefine the smartphone user experience for resource-poor women in the developing world. We were delighted with the high standard of entries to the...
- GSMA mWomen
Meet the UX Champion: Molly Norris
In the first of a series of interviews with our selection panellists, Molly Norris, an Innovator at Ideo.org, shares her thoughts on the importance of user experience design. Why is user experience design so important? Why is product design important? Ex...
- GSMA mWomen
Three Lessons about Microsavings and the Mobile Phone
Women's wants and needs for mobile financial services are very much in focus for the GSMA mWomen Programme, as we gear up for the forthcoming release of our latest research on the subject with our partners Visa, Inc and Bankable Frontiers. Today, we hear from ...
- GSMA mWomen
Design Challenge closes; thanks to all who got involved!
Last Friday saw the deadline for entries to the GSMA Design Challenge, sponsored by Qtel and in partnership with USAID and AusAID. We were absolutely thrilled with your response! Thank you to all who submitted. Thanks also to all those who supported us by s...
- GSMA mWomen
Often, money talks before the user can: The economics of obtaining a phone
The GSMA mWomen Design Challenge aims to improve the smartphone user experience for resource-poor women. Now, ‘resource-poor’ can mean many things, but in the context of our programme, it refers to those in low-income households, who may be functionally an...
- GSMA mWomen
Mobile financial services: how to meet women’s needs?
Resource-poor people in the developing world face a number of challenges when it comes to managing their finances: incomes are low, irregular and unpredictable and formal financial tools hard to access. Women in particular face an additional burden as they oft...
- GSMA mWomen
CGAP Call for Proposals for Applied Product Innovation Work
Are you a branchless banking provider interested in better understanding your low-income customers and developing innovative financial products that truly meet their needs? If so, you might be interested in applying to take part in CGAP's next round of Applied...
- GSMA mWomen
Why Android? Designing for the forecasted platform of choice
Today, most mobile users in developing markets rely on basic feature phones, which generally offer little beyond basic voice and SMS functionality. But, as discussed in a previous post, smartphones will drive the next stage of the mobile revolution, offering a...
- GSMA mWomen
Culture & Context: What should designers consider about the cultures in which their women users live?
In my last blog post, I discussed the written and technical literacy barriers that prevent many resource-poor women from accessing the full range of benefits that mobile phones, and especially smartphones, can offer. Unfortunately, these aren’t the only chal...
- GSMA mWomen
Barriers to women’s smartphone use: Written vs Technical literacy - What’s the difference?
The benefits to increasing mobile phone ownership for resource-poor women, which include greater security and higher social and economic empowerment, are clear (and this video can expand further on these advantages). However, despite these benefits, several ba... - GSMA mWomen
2013 Global Mobile Awards open for entries
The call for entries to the 2013 Global Mobile Awards is open and the deadline for submissions is Friday, 30th November 2012 at 5pm (GMT). As part of these awards, the GSMA mWomen Best Mobile Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets Award aims to sa... - GSMA mWomen
Recognizing Rural Women: guidelines on using mobile to improve women farmers’ access to information
On the International Day of Rural Women we are pleased to share a focus note on Designing & Marketing Mobile Information & Advisory Services for Women Smallholders. Under the mFarmer Initiative, one of our key areas is working with mobile service pr...
- GSMA mWomen
FILM: Watch the launch of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge
Video of the launch event of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge, sponsored by Qtel Group in partnership with AusAID and USAID. ...
- GSMA mWomen
World Bank helps connect 2m more people in Papua New Guinea
The GSMA mWomen Programme works across the developing world and a centre for its research in the Pacific region is Papua New Guinea. One reason for this focus is that the country is one of the most isolated in the world. A recent article by the World Bank repo...
- GSMA mWomen
FILM: What if we designed smartphones with the needs of resource-poor women in mind?
Animation highlighting the case for considering the needs of resource-poor women in emerging markets when designing mobile products and services. ...
- GSMA mWomen
USAID, Qtel, AusAID and GSMA launch GSMA mWomen Design Challenge
We were excited to watch the launch of the GSMA mWomen Design Challenge: Redefining the User Experience at this year’s Social Good Summit in New York last night. U.S. Agency for International Development Chief Innovation Officer and and Senior Counselor Maur... - GSMA mWomen
Making Smart Design Choices for Women & Mobile
Meet Stella, from rural Tanzania Stella is a 35-year-old widow and mother of four children. She and her three youngest children live together in a one-room, mud-brick house in rural Tanzania. Her village has power, but it is unreliable, with service only a ... - GSMA mWomen
Asiacell leading the way in supporting women’s mobile use in Iraq
GSMA mWomen Working Group member Asiacell is significantly increasing economic opportunities for women in Iraq through its mWomen initiatives, and recently welcomed a visit from the GSMA, the global organisation representing mobile operators, to find out more ... - GSMA mWomen
The Girls’ Education Challenge: Investing in business innovation and partnerships for girls' education
An exciting new challenge has been launched this week to promote partnerships between global businesses and local enterprises to support girls' education across the developing world. The Girls' Education Challenge will provide up to £15m of match funding to s... - GSMA mWomen
Using Mobile to Reach Scale: Living Goods' SMS program already connecting 100K+ BoP clients
Great to see the inspiring report on the NextBillion.net blog about here.... - GSMA mWomen
Working Group member Roshan transforming transforming security, information sharing & entrepreneurship in Afghanistan
NGO Mercy Corps has published a great article on GSMA mWomen Working Group member Roshan's long-term investment in poverty alleviation through technology in Afghanistan. Covering Roshan's commitment to serving women in the country, its mobile money initiatives... - GSMA mWomen
Nokia partners with Cherie Blair Foundation for Women & MTN Nigeria to bring Business Women Service via Nokia Life to Nigeria
As part of its mission to connect the next billion people to relevant information and the internet, GSMA mWomen Working Group member Nokia, in partnership with our strategic partner Cherie Blair Foundation for Women and MTN Nigeria, today announced a new Nokia... - GSMA mWomen
Mobilink Reshaping Education and the Lives Of Women and Girls in Rural Areas through Mobile Technology
The following is a guest post by Mobilink. Mobilink recognises that an educated society that is socially inclusive is the nation’s key to ensuring sustainable development. In order to promote education and aid sustainable development in the communities th... - GSMA mWomen
Women's Access to ICT: Strengthening Policy Frameworks to Address the Mobile Phone Gender Gap
When we think about mobile technology access to services, opportunities and products – particularly in remote, rural corners of the developing world – we occasionally miss the chance to emphasize the importance of tackling macro-level regulatory frameworks... - GSMA mWomen
Sec. Clinton highlights importance of closing the gender data gap
Last week, we were watching avidly as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and Gallup Chairman and CEO Jim Clifton discussed using data to improve the lives of women worldwide at ‘Evidence and Impact: Closing the Gender... - GSMA mWomen
Mobitel’s consumer insight research leads to suite of mobile services for Sri Lankan women
As part of the GSMA mWomen Working Group meeting, Jean Fernandez, Senior General Manager - Customer Care, Mobitel presented on the process the company had gone through to launch its scaled mWomen offering, Liyasara. Below is a summary of what she shared at the... - GSMA mWomen
Talk ‘N’ Text addresses women’s biggest barrier to ownership: affordability
Video explaining Talk 'N' Text's Panalo Phone, a complete mobile phone service solution for the resource-poor. Each package comes with a brand new handset, a hard-locked built-in SIM, and an initial airtime load for a retail price of Php 499 (USD 11.60). Subse...
- GSMA mWomen
Research Latest Part 1: Consumer insight research key to enhancing the lives of BoP through mobile
By Per Helmersen, GSMA mWomen Research Manager Understanding the wants, needs and aspirations of underserved women as well as the barriers that stand in the way of fulfilling them is essential in order to develop relevant, affordable and accessible mobile s...
- GSMA mWomen
Female retailers 'vital' to Dialog's rural growth targets
Sri Lankan mobile operator Dialog Axiata knows that the rural market is its next opportunity for growth. To reach this consumer base, Dialog has created the 5 Star Partner Programme, which uses “Infomediaries” – a phrase that has been coined to combine t...
- GSMA mWomen
Report from the field: Mobile retail boosting the income of Ruma entrepreneurs
By Susan Anaba, GSMA mWomen Programme Coordinator As part of the recent GSMA mWomen Working Group meeting, hosted by Indosat and Qtel in Jakarta, a group of GSMA mWomen Working Group delegates visited the stalls of two Ruma entrepreneurs who make a living s...
- GSMA mWomen
Report from the field: Mobiles invaluable to Jakarta women
By Julia Burchell, GSMA mWomen Knowledge Manager As part of the recent GSMA mWomen Working Group meeting, hosted by Indosat and Qtel in Jakarta, a group of GSMA mWomen Working Group delegates and I visited the Bekasi Women’s Community. We discussed the im...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mAgri Webinar tackles how to design & market mobile VAS for women farmers
On Wednesday 27th June the GSMA mAgri team organised a webinar on the subject of Designing & Marketing Mobile Information & Advisory Services for Women Smallholder Farmers. The purpose of the webinar was to share practical and actionable lessons which ... - GSMA mWomen
She Will Innovate, a competition by Ashoka & Intel, open for entries
As readers of mwomen.org know well, information and communication technologies have huge potential to contribute to economic growth and development, and to improve the lives of people—girls and women in particular—given the complex challenges they face... - GSMA mWomen
Working Group Member Qualcomm, with partners Ruma & Grameen Foundation, Launch Mobile Survey Tools that Provide Additional Income to Underserved Indonesians
GSMA mWomen Working Group member Qualcomm, through its Wireless Reach™ initiative and in partnership with Ruma and the Grameen Foundation, has announced the launch of mobile survey tools, which enable businesses to better understand the needs and interests o... - GSMA mWomen
Former World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, calls for "A Cellphone for Every Woman"
It was heartening to read about the support of James Wolfensohn, former World Bank President, for the mWomen agenda. Calling for "a cellphone for every woman" in the IHT, the Global Edition of the New York Times on Friday 15 June 2012, he highlighted how gende... - GSMA mWomen
The cost of being connected: A phone for every woman needs an affordable charging solution
A lady stands in front of her house, in the glow of a kerosene lamp - an important, but expensive, source of heat and light in India Mary Roach, Business Development Manager for the GSMA Community Power from Mobile Programme, writes the latest in our gu...
- GSMA mWomen
Indosat and Nokia awarded at Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards 2012 for Info Wanita
GSMA mWomen Working Group members Indosat (a Qtel Group company) and Nokia were awarded the ‘Emerging Market Service Innovation’ for Info Wanita (Information for Women) service at this year's Global Telecoms Business Innovation Awards in London on June 12.... - GSMA mWomen
New crowdsourcing challenge asks 'How can we use mobile phones to improve early childhood care and education?'
A Nokia smartphone will go to the owner of the best idea submitted to the sixth phase of the Education for All (EFA) Crowdsourcing Challenge organized by UNESCO, Nokia and the Pearson Foundation. From 10 April to 31 May, education and mobile learning stakeh... - GSMA mWomen
New Research by ExxonMobil Foundation and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women Reveals How Mobile Phones Can Help Women Entrepreneurs Develop Their Businesses
The ExxonMobil Foundation and Cherie Blair Foundation for Women today released new research demonstrating how mobile phones can help women entrepreneurs develop and grow their businesses. The analysis across three emerging countries -- Egypt, Nigeria and Indon... - GSMA mWomen
Visa awarded inaugural Millennium Challenge Corporation Corporate Award
It was wonderful to hear this week that the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) honoured GSMA mWomen Programme partner Visa Inc. with the organization's Corporate Award, which recognizes an American company for demonstrating exemplary commitment to trade or... - GSMA mWomen
Film: Highlights of GSMA mWomen at Mobile World Congress 2012
Highlights of GSMA mWomen Programme activities at Mobile World Congress 2012 ...
- GSMA mWomen
Working Group member Mobitel launches mWomen new offering 'Liyasara'
GSMA mWomen Working Group member Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel has launched ‘Liyasara’, a special information and service package targeted at Sri Lankan women. 'Liyasara' enables customers to have easy access to information relating to child psychology, cerebr...
- GSMA mWomen
Film: GSMA mWomen Seminar Part One - Latest Research & Tools from the GSMA mWomen Programme
GSMA mWomen Programme Director Trina DasGupta presents the programme's latest research and tools to support the mobile industry and international development community in reducing the mobile phone gender gap and provide life-enhancing services for underserved ...
- GSMA mWomen
Film: GSMA mWomen Seminar Part Two: Panel Discussion
The second annual GSMA mWomen Seminar at Mobile World Congress, sponsored by Qualcomm's Wireless Reach and AusAID, was a great success, with a fully-packed agenda and standing-room only crowd ready to discuss both the challenges and opportunities for creating ...
- GSMA mWomen
Interview: Mr. Essa Alhaddad, Etisalat Group CCO, speaks on the company's Global Mobile Award win
Following Etisalat’s win of the 2012 mWomen Global Mobile Award at Mobile World Congress this year, we caught up with Mr. Essa Alhaddad, Etisalat Group Chief Commercial Officer, to discuss the win and the mobile service that is improving maternal and child h...
- GSMA mWomen
Working Group members Nokia & Indosat launch commercial mWomen offering
Communications group Nokia and Indonesian MNO Indosat have collaborated to create and launch a special women-targeted service called ‘Info Wanita’ on the Nokia Life services platform. ‘Info Wanita’ (Information for Women) will be available free for... - GSMA mWomen
Striving & Surviving on International Women’s Day 2012
To mark International Women’s Day 2012, the GSMA mWomen is delighted to release the research report Striving and Surviving – Exploring the Lives of Women at the Base of the Pyramid. This is a detailed exploration of the data collected during a nine-month s... - GSMA mWomen
Building Apps for the Developing World That Women (and Men) Will Use
By Ann Mei Chang, Senior Advisor for Women and Technology in the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues, U.S. Department of State We have seen evidence over and over again that investing in women and girls is one of the most direct and effective ways t... - GSMA mWomen
Understanding the Wants and Needs of Women Living Under $2 a Day
By Christopher Burns, Economic Growth and Agricultural Development Advisor, Office of Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment, USAID, orginally for the USAID Impact Blog. As development practitioners, do we adequately understand our target beneficiaries bef... - GSMA mWomen
Etisalat Mobile Baby Wins mWomen Global Mobile Award!
L-R: Awards ceremony host Tim Minchin, Mr. Essa Alhaddad, Etisalat Group Chief Commercial Officer & GSMA mWomen Global Champion Cherie Blair We’re delighted to announce that Etisalat Mobile Baby, a joint entry between Etisalat, Qualcomm, D-Tree Intern...
- GSMA mWomen
LAUNCHED: New Tools for the Mobile Industry
The GSMA mWomen Programme today launched a new set of tools for the mobile industry at the GSMA mWomen Seminar at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. These accompany the launch of the research report ‘Portraits – A Glimpse into the Lives of BoP Wome... - GSMA mWomen
Part 2: M-PESA responds: Benefits and Challenges of using mobile money to reduce poverty for women in Kenya
In the latest in our guest blog series, Dr Ndunge Kiiti of Houghton College New York, describes findings of her research into the impact of mobile money services into female poverty reduction in Kenya. Her first blog entry described the findings of a workshop ...
- GSMA mWomen
Video: Interview with Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals, Vodafone
Patrick Chomet, Group Director of Terminals , Vodafone discusses what the company is doing to empower women through its products. ...
- GSMA mWomen
Part 1: Benefits and challenges of using mobile money to reduce poverty for women in Kenya
In the latest in our guest blog series, Dr Ndunge Kiiti of Houghton College, New York describes findings of her research into the impact of mobile money services for female poverty reduction in Kenya. Her blog entries provide further evidence as to how commerc...
- GSMA mWomen
InfoDev taps job-creation potential of mobile phones
InfoDev have launched m2Work, a global online competition aiming to tap the job-creation potential of mobile phones. In addition to a total of US$ 40,000 in cash prizes , the challenge offers business mentorship to entrepreneurs with good ideas for mobile micr... - GSMA mWomen
ITU launches Girls in ICT Portal
Following the announcement of the launch of WITNET – the ITU Global Network of Women ICT Decision Makers – at the GSMA mWomen Seminar last year, the ITU has launched a new web portal focused on helping girls and women access training, job opportunities and... - GSMA mWomen
Guest blog: Women in mobile retail chains - a win-win combination
In the latest of our guest blog series, Anant Nautiyal, Mobile Technology Programme Manager, for the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women discusses the findings of the organisation's latest study 'Women Entrepreneurs in Mobile Retail Channels.' Meet Shirley ... - GSMA mWomen
VIDEO: GSMA mWomen Working Group listens in as South African women speak about the role of mobile phones in their lives
Video of a focus group discussion in which women from Khayelitsha Township, Cape Town, South Africa discuss the role of mobile in their lives. The GSMA mWomen Working Group attended. ...
- GSMA mWomen
Can you hear her now? Putting mobile phones in women’s hands
Maura O’Neill, Chief Innovation Officer, USAID, writes on the USAID Impact blog about the announcement of the GSMA mWomen Global Development Alliance on November 30, 2011. The partnership, between the USAID, AusAID, the GSMA and Visa Inc, will enable women t... - GSMA mWomen
USAID, AusAID, GSMA and Visa Partner in GSMA mWomen Programme Global Development Alliance
We’re thrilled to share with you that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd today announced a new three-year partnership with the GSMA mWomen Programme to increase mobile phone ownership among women in the ...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen Working Group meets in Sri Lanka
The latest GSMA mWomen Working Group meeting was hosted in September by Mobitel in Colombo, Sri Lanka. With a heavy focus on interactive workshops, the mobile network operators, mobile industry and government partners that came together explored the preliminar...
- GSMA mWomen
Topline Research Findings: Fulfilment for BOP is defined by family role
Per Helmersen shares the topline findings from the initial stage of the GSMA mWomen Research into the Wants and Needs of BOP Women. The study was commissioned in June and is being carried out in partnership with USAID and AusAID to explore the wants and needs ...
- GSMA mWomen
7 Billion Reasons for Hope
by Matt Stein, GSMA mWomen Business Manager This week we welcomed the birth of a very special baby who represented an astounding milestone for humanity; 7 billion people concurrently living together. It is hard for us to conceive what this number really ... - GSMA mWomen
Women from rural Sri Lanka share aspirations and pain points
At the recent GSMA mWomen Working Group meeting, we heard from five BOP women - Inoka, Chandrika, Daya, Nandika and Suramya - from rural Sri Lanka, during a focus group arranged by Mobitel. These women discussed their aspirations and pain points both in life i... - GSMA mWomen
Cherie Blair, Maura O’Neill, and Trina DasGupta guest blog for the Council for Foreign Relations
Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity By Cherie Blair, Maura O’Neill, and Trina DasGupta on Isobel Coleman's blog. Mobile phones are life-changing tools that can connect people not only to each other, but also to income generating opportunities and a ... - GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen BOP Apps Challenge winner awarded first place in Vodafone Mobile Clicks
We're excited to share that FrogTek's TiendaTek, the winner of the GSMA mWomen BOP App Challenge smartphone tier, has WON the Vodafone Mobile Clicks Challenge. Vodafone Mobile Clicks is an international contest to identify and develop the best mobile internet ... - GSMA mWomen
Kenyan government boosts economic productivity by removing tax on handset sales
The GSMA has recently issued preliminary findings from research undertaken into taxation. Initially focused on Africa, the research shows that mobile handset sales have soared by 200 per cent in Kenya following the government’s 2009 decision to slash the... - GSMA mWomen
Mobile Industry Awards mWomen Offerings
This week saw the announcement of the GSMA Annual Global Mobile Awards and for the first time, under the social and economic development category, we see the inclusion of the category - ‘mWomen - Best Product or Service for Women in Emerging Markets’. T... - GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen BOP App Challenge winner reaches final of Vodafone Mobile Clicks
We're excited to learn that FrogTek's TiendaTek, the winner of the GSMA mWomen BOP App Challenge smartphone tier, has reached the final of the Vodafone Mobile Clicks Challenge. Vodafone Mobile Clicks is an international contest to identify and develop the best... - GSMA mWomen
Global Mobile Awards to include Award for mWomen initiatives
The GSMA mWomen Programme is delighted to share that this year, for the first time, the Global Mobile Awards will include an award recognising the difference mobile technology can make in offering life-changing services to women across the globe: ‘mWomen - B... - GSMA mWomen
Solar Sister: Shining a light on female centred distribution channels
As we develop the mWomen Business Case, we have been exploring how to bring women into the mobile value chain, using female distribution networks such as that exemplified by Vodafone Qatar’s Al Johara initiative. We came across the fantastic work Solar Siste... - GSMA mWomen
World Bank video: Importance of scale in gender and ICT programmes
As well as closing the mobile phone gender gap, the GSMA mWomen Programme focusses on bringing life-changing services to women at scale via the mobile channel. We believe that scale is vital for the long term sustainability of any initiative targeting the BOP ... - GSMA mWomen
Report from the field: Aradhana's story
Although it is clear mobile technology benefits women, there is little data available to better understand the day-to-day aspirations and challenges of women at the base of the pyramid. In order to work with and for them, the GSMA mWomen Programme, in partners...
- GSMA mWomen
Report from the field: Sussan's story
Although it is clear mobile technology benefits women, there is little data available to better understand the day-to-day aspirations and challenges of women at the base of the pyramid. In order to work with and for them, the GSMA mWomen Programme, in partners...
- GSMA mWomen
Report from the field: Women & Mobile in Papua New Guinea
Although it is clear mobile technology benefits women, there is little data available to better understand the day-to-day aspirations and challenges of women at the base of the pyramid. In order to work with and for them, the GSMA mWomen Programme, in partners... - GSMA mWomen
What stops women accessing the mobile internet?
In the first of our series of guest blog entries, Shikoh Gitau, Founder, Ummeli Trust (pictured below) explains some of the challenges women in low- to middle-income countries face when trying to access the mobile internet from feature phones. You have ... - GSMA mWomen
Nielsen shows Women of Tomorrow are optimistic
The GSMA mWomen Programme team was very interested to read the Nielsen Women of Tomorrow Study recently, which surveyed women in 21 developed and emerging countries. It examines what drives women; their educational and economic opportunities; how empowered the... - GSMA mWomen
Deloitte report: Tapping into female talent tops up the bottom line
It was extremely interesting to read the report from Candice Silverstone of Deloitte Consulting explaining the potential women have for businesses as both customers and leaders. Women may well be the dominant source of economic growth in the near future ... - GSMA mWomen
mHealth services have potential to help reduce inequality in South African healthcare
The South African healthcare market is at a “critical juncture,” with profound inequalities between public and private healthcare, an escalation of costs, and critical shortages of healthcare professionals, according to a market study published by the ... - GSMA mWomen
AusAID awards a US$533,800 grant to GSMA mWomen Programme
The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) has awarded GSMA mWomen Programme a US$533,800 grant to help achieve the programme’s goals of closing the mobile phone gender gap and provide life-changing services to women in the developing w... - GSMA mWomen
Innovative Use of Universal Service Funds: Sanchar Shakti, “Gaining Strength”
During this past International Women’s Day, 8 March 2011, the Indian government announced an innovative scheme to incentivise private telecommunication and information providers to create empowering value added services (VAS) for women. Building on the g... - GSMA mWomen
Bridging the gender gap in agriculture: Can technology address the issue?
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently published its annual report on The State of Food and Agriculture, which focused on Closing the Gender Gap for Development. It analyses the important role women farmers play in pover... - GSMA mWomen
Weathering the Storm: Women’s Responses to Economic Shocks
Guest Post by Maha Khan at the GSMA Mobile Money for the Unbanked Programme (MMU) Has the recent global financial crisis had any gender specific consequences for women and their children living in poor countries? A recent World Bank paper, How Do Women ... - GSMA mWomen
Watch Highlights of GSMA mWomen activities at Mobile World Congress 2011
Highlights reel of GSMA mWomen activities at Mobile World Congress 2011. ...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen at Mobile World Congress
Trina DasGupta, then Director of the GSMA mWomen Programme, discusses the Programme and its activities at Mobile World Congress 2011. ... - GSMA mWomen
HM Queen Elizabeth II: 'Women are agents of change'
Today Her Majesty The Queen, Head of the Commonwealth marked Commonwealth Day with a message celebrating the role of women: "Last week, on the 8th of March, we marked the hundredth anniversary of the first International Women’s Day. The idea of having... - GSMA mWomen
Women Deliver Top 100 inspiring people delivering for girls & women
In celebration of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8th), Women Deliver is announcing the “Women Deliver 100,” our list of the hundred most inspiring people who have delivered for girls and women. This list recognizes women an... - GSMA mWomen
“Technology is growing higher”
*By: U.S. Department of State Women’s Technology Delegation to Liberia and Sierra Leone, including Trina DasGupta, mWomen Programme Director Inside the Annie Walsh Memorial School for Girls in Freetown, Sierra Leone, we visited a small computer lab es... - GSMA mWomen
UN Secretary General speaks on International Women's Day
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon delivered the following message to mark International Women's Day 2011: "Gender equality and women’s empowerment are fundamental to the global mission of the United Nations to achieve equal rights and dignity for all. ... - GSMA mWomen
GSMA commemorates the centenary of International Women’s Day by inviting all to sign the mWomen Charter
Commemorating the centenary of International Women’s Day on Tuesday March 8 2011, the GSMA mWomen Programme invites everyone to sign the mWomen Charter: “Women Deserve the Freedom to Connect” www.mwomen.org/Charter The mWomen Charter reminds us ...
- GSMA mWomen
Jan Chipchase: 'The poor can least afford bad design'
Great to read insights from GSMA mWomen Expert Panel member Jan Chipchase on VentureBeat.com and the New York Times here. Watch Jan contribute to the GSMA mWomen panel session 'Empowering Women Through Mobile Technology' at Mobile World Congress 2011 - ... - GSMA mWomen
Short clip of Secretary Clinton announcing the launch of the GSMA mWomen Programme
Short clip of Secretary Clinton announcing the launch of the GSMA mWomen Programme ...
- GSMA mWomen
Closing the Gender Gap Panel 2: Pathways to Leadership - Nurturing female leadership in the mobile and technology industries
This panel looked at how to better nurture female talent and address the leadership gender gap in the mobile phone and technology industries. This is a key topic because, as was pointed out, in the vast majority of countries in the world, the proportion of... - GSMA mWomen
Closing the Gender Gap Panel 1: mWomen - Empowering women through mobile technology
The room was buzzing as Trina DasGupta, mWomen Programme Director introduced the GSMA mWomen Programme and its aims of addressing the key barriers to women’s access to mobile phones in the developing world; creating an enabling market environment by developi...
- GSMA mWomen
ITU announces ‘Global Network of Women ICT Decision Makers’ at GSMA mWomen Closing the Gender Gap Event
At the GSMA mWomen Closing the Gender Gap event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, Ms. Jasna Matic, Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society, Serbia, and Mrs. Coumba Touré announced the creation of the ‘Global Network of Women ICT De...
- GSMA mWomen
Dr Maura O'Neill Announces USAID grant to GSMA mWomen Programme
Dr. Maura O’Neill, Senior Counselor to the Administrator for Innovation at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today that USAID has granted the GSMA mWomen Programme $500,000 to develop the mWomen Business Case. U.S. Ambassador...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen BOP Apps Challenge Winners Announced
The GSMA mWomen Programme today announced the winners of the GSMA mWomen BOP (Base of the Pyramid) Apps Challenge, sponsored by Vodafone, at the Global Mobile Awards at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. NextDrop, an application spreading information about th...
- GSMA mWomen
Uninor and GSMA mWomen launch mobile advocacy campaign in Uttar Pradesh
In response to the recent news that an Indian village in Uttar Pradesh had banned young women from using mobile phones, for fear of them being used to arrange illicit marriages, MNO Uninor and the GSMA mWomen Programme have launched the campaign 'Mera Mobile, ...
- GSMA mWomen
New Approach for Social Welfare in the Developing World
By Robin Lloyd, Scientific American Enas Salameh, a 24-year-old college graduate living in the Palestinian West Bank city of Jenin, needed a job this summer. But her family finds it unacceptable for a woman to venture alone into the city without a male ... - GSMA mWomen
mWomen goals in the news
News of the GSMA mWomen Programme and its goals of closing the existing gender gap by 50% over three years - increasing access to mobile phones for 150 million women - and leveraging the mobile channel to provide value added services in women’s health, e... - GSMA mWomen
Roshan tackling cultural barriers to provide women with mobile money access
Maha Khan at GSMA Mobile Money for the Unbanked (MMU) has been discussing the use of mobiles in the peace-building sector and in particular mobile money bringing financial services to the poor on the MMU blog. Tackling cultural barriers has played a key ro... - GSMA mWomen
mWomen BOP Apps Challenge closing today
Developers planning to enter the mWomen ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BOP) Apps Challenge have just a few hours left to submit their ideas. The exciting challenge, sponsored by Vodafone, offers two lucky winners prizes of $10,000 each as well as exclusive acc... - GSMA mWomen
mWomen BOP Apps Challenge closes tomorrow
Developers planning to enter the mWomen ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BOP) Apps Challenge have just one day left to submit their ideas. The exciting challenge, sponsored by Vodafone, offers two lucky winners prizes of $10,000 each as well as exclusive access ... - GSMA mWomen
M-Pesa Reaching Women in Kenya
Billy Jack from Georgetown University’s Economics Department and Tavneet Suri from MIT’s Sloan School of Management have updated us on their latest research on the use of in Kenya with some interesting findings on how women are using the servi... - GSMA mWomen
Only one week left to enter the mWomen BOP Apps Challenge
Developers planning to enter the mWomen ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BOP) Apps Challenge have just one week left to submit their ideas. The exciting challenge, sponsored by Vodafone, offers two lucky winners prizes of $10,000 each as well as exclusive access... - GSMA mWomen
Closing mobile phone gender gap is key to implementing maternal mHealth initiatives
Over 2,700 tech gurus, government officials, non-profit organizations, researchers and private sector companies attended the mHealth Summit last week in DC at the Washington Convention Center. Hosted by the mHealth Alliance of the UN Foundation, the Nation... - GSMA mWomen
First mWomen Working Group kicks off in Chennai
The mWomen team is eagerly anticipating the inaugural mWomen Working Group which begins tomorrow, Tuesday 9 November, in Chennai, India. MNOs and development experts from all over the world will be flying in to discuss how to sustainably provide mobile con... - GSMA mWomen
Two weeks left to enter mWomen BOP Apps Challenge
Developers planning to enter the mWomen ‘Base of the Pyramid’ (BOP) Apps Challenge have just two weeks left to submit their ideas. The exciting challenge, sponsored by Vodafone, offers two lucky winners prizes of $10,000 each as well as exclusive acces... - GSMA mWomen
GSMA Launch Events at the U.S. Department of State, 7 Oct 2010
Full length video of the GSMA mWomen Launch with U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton GSMA mWomen Launch Events at the U.S. Department of State, 7 Oct 2010...
- GSMA mWomen
World Economic Forum: 'Closing the gender gap provides a basis for a prosperous society'
Nordic countries top Gender Gap Index while France slips and US climbs • Nordic countries once again top The Global Gender Gap Report’s Index • The index ranks 134 economies according to the size of the gaps between men and women • US climbs t... - GSMA mWomen
Mobile phones help lift poor out of poverty - U.N. study
Mobile phones -- spreading faster than any other information technology -- can improve the livelihoods of the poorest people in developing countries, a United Nations report released last week said. But governments must design responsive policies to ens... - GSMA mWomen
UN Women boosted by award to help women affected by violence
The new super agency at the United Nations, called UN Women and combining four of the major women's agencies, is off to a good start with a new additional $10m grant initiative coming from the UN trust fund. Assisting 18 nations with 13 separate initiat... - GSMA mWomen
Watch the mWomen launch at The US Department of State
The GSMA's mWomen Programme was launched on Thursday 7 Oct 2010 by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Watch the film of the launch here... - GSMA mWomen
Connected, women gain strength
A highlight of the launch of the mWomen Programme was the insights given by members of India’s Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) on the transformative effects of mobile phones. Reema Nanavaty, President of SEWA feels that mobile phones are a tool...
- GSMA mWomen
GSMA mWomen Launch Events at the U.S. Department of State, 8 October 2010
Full length video of the GSMA mWomen Launch with U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton GSMA mWomen Launch Events at the U.S. Department of State, 8 October 2010 ... - GSMA mWomen
GSMA CEO Rob Conway "We want mobile to positively transform the lives of these women... forever."
The only man on the stage at the launch of the mWomen project was the CEO of the GSMA, Rob Conway. He went straight to the most telling statistic " Why is it that 300 million women around the world lack the mobile phone that men have? " And on behalf of t...
- GSMA mWomen
In a rousing speech, Cherie Blair helps launch mWomen
Introduced by US secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the US Department of State Cherie Blair helped launched mWomen "My foundation for women and GSMA were drawn together by shared concerns that too many women were missing out on the opportunities that mobil...
- GSMA mWomen
Women Are The New Global Growth Engine
Corporate executives take note: In coming decades, the majority of global population growth will occur in countries where gender disparities are greatest and where conservative traditions and customs work against women's rights. Entrenched gender discriminatio... - GSMA mWomen
Can Cell Phones Really Save the Planet?
Bracken Hendricks thinks it's not the gadget that will make the difference—but what we do with it. Last year, nearly one in four of the world’s six billion people lived in extreme poverty. A quarter of all human beings on the planet had no electrici... - GSMA mWomen
mWomen Launched by Hillary Clinton
GSMA mWomen Launch Events at the U.S. Department of State, 7 Oct 2010 from ryder Haske on Vimeo. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sees mobile phones as a powerful ally in her goals for the empowerment of women. She described the launch of the... - GSMA mWomen
Female use of mobile internet soaring
Mobile web use among women is rising faster than men, according to figures from web browser developer Opera. A study of Opera Mini users revealed a 575 per cent increase in the number of women browsing the internet on their mobiles. This is more than tw... - GSMA mWomen
"Connect To Learn" kicks off with 100 scholarships in 100 days and a call for action from Madonna
New York (September 21, 2010)— Madonna, together with the Earth Institute, Ericsson and Millennium Promise today officially launched Connect To Learn, a non-profit global education initiative to greatly improve both the access to and quality of secondary... - GSMA mWomen
Educating Women Saves Children, Study Finds
The New York Times reports the findings of a new study which showed that giving young women an education resulted in saving the lives of more than four million children worldwide in 2009. American researchers analyzed 915 censuses and surveys from 175 c... - GSMA mWomen
The Millennium Development Goals and the gender gap
Jonathan Glennie discusses the millennium development goals' promise to narrow the gender gap. 'A common criticism of the Millennium Development Goals is that they are not political enough. Actually, there are good reasons for that, such as the need to ... - GSMA mWomen
mWomen’s Dawn Haig-Thomas speaks at London School of Economics
mWomen’s Dawn Haig-Thomas spoke on a panel Monday at London School of Economics. Discussing the topic 'Mobile Phones for Development,' she joined fellow speakers Jenny Aker, Assistant Professor of Development Economics at The Fletcher School of International... - GSMA mWomen
UK Government to focus on women in developing countries
The UK government intends to reorientate its entire aid programme to put the lives of women in developing countries at its heart, the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, will tell a United Nations summit. Government leaders will meet in New York next Mon...
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