Connected Women, a technology-driven social impact startup, was recognized as Champion for e-Employment at the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) Forum held at Place des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland last April 9.
As an advocate of Gender Equality- the fifth goal in the United Nations Sustainable Development, Connected Women matches female entrepreneurs from all over the world with Filipino women looking for remote work through a tech platform which utilizes a unique proprietary algorithm to ensure a precise match. Through the Connected Women website, job seekers can apply for virtual work while entrepreneurs gain access to high-quality, affordable talent. This social enterprise also provides digital skills enhancement, continued education and training for the community while promoting tech adoption, inclusive innovation and the future of work.
“Our vision is to impact the lives of women globally by providing access to technology training, resources and tools to improve businesses, careers and lives. This not only opens up opportunities to Filipino women but also aids entrepreneurs globally to achieve work-life balance while growing their business” said Michael Yaxley, Executive Chairman of Connected Women.
“It is an honour for Connected Women to be representing the country in the international stage and for being recognized by a panel of global change makers as a solution to improving women’s economic empowerment and gender equality through the use of ICT,” shares Connected Women Co-Founder Ruth Yu-Owen who received the award.
Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) expressed its pride in having Connected Women as its partner in empowering Filipino women, especially those in countryside.
“Connected Women has been instrumental in helping provide the much-needed platform that will enable Filipino women to participate in the digital economy and become technopreneurs. Having been recognized by the International Telecommunication Union a champion of WSIS Prizes 2019 on ICT Applications: Employment is no mean feat, and for this we congratulate the whole team behind Connected Women. We look forward to continuing our work with them in creating more opportunities for Filipino women in the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution by providing them more meaningful employment in the ICT sector,” stated Atty. Ivin Ronald D.M. Alzona, Assistant Secretary for Management and Operations.
Entries from Thailand, United Arab Emirates, India and the USA were also recognized as Champions for e-Employment.
Over 2 million votes were casted among 1,062 nominated projects from across the globe. Following a comprehensive review by an expert group, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recognized 90 organizations for their remarkable efforts in accelerating socio-economic progress.
“How can we maximize the benefits of emerging tech for our societies and economies? One answer is innovation. So let’s work together to invest in innovation so that ICTs can accelerate progress on Global Goals and deliver on the promise of the Digital Economy,” said Houlin Zhao, the ITU Secretary-General who personally presented the awards.
WSIS Forum is the largest annual gathering of the ‘ICT for development community.’ It is a global mulit-stakeholder platform which facilitates the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing Sustainable Development.
Connected Women encourages all women to sign up at WE-Train, WE-Match. It is a nationwide initiative by Connected Women, #SheMeansBusiness and DICT, which aims to empower Filipino women with relevant technology skills and help them grow their businesses or get online work. It offers free resources, such as online digital marketing course, to kickstart an online career. Women can sign-up at https://www.connectedwomen.co/we-train-we-match or at any Tech4Ed centers to access lessons and earn a certificate without cost.