#TodasConectadas is an initiative of the Regional Alliance for the Digitization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean – led by the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity of Chile, in conjunction with UN Women, Microsoft, Mastercard and Eidos Global – that seeks to impact more than 3.8 million women throughout the region.
Santiago, Chile – With the presence of Mónica Zalaquett, Minister of Women and Gender Equity of Chile and President of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean; María Inés Salamanca, Regional Specialist in Strategic Alliances of UN WOMEN; Sergio Rademacher, General Manager of Microsoft Chile; Patricia Merino, director of Marketing and Communications Southern Cone of Mastercard; The virtual platform #TodasConectadas was launched, an initiative that seeks to unite and digitize more than 3.8 million women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This online meeting space aims for women in the region to develop digital skills and competencies, acquire tools that allow them to digitize their enterprises, and expand their employment and economic opportunities. In addition, it will allow them to access communities where they can increase their possibilities for entrepreneurship, innovation and development.
#TodasConectadas is a project of the Regional Alliance for the Digitization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean -a multisectoral regional cooperation initiative- that was born within the framework of the Regional Conference on Women, under the leadership of the Government of Chile being presented as a collective commitment to gender equality at a global level before the Generation Equality Forum.
Inclusive digital transformation
The possibility of providing digital training opportunities to women in Latin America and the Caribbean, so that they can access more and better opportunities in the digital economy, was what brought the Ministry of Women and Gender Equity of Chile together with UN Women, Microsoft, Eidos Global and Mastercard. This action is aligned with the objective of contributing to post-pandemic economic recovery and facilitating women's access to digital technologies and skills so that they can be protagonists of tomorrow's digital economy.
The training materials available on the platform, in addition to being online, can be accessed and taken 100% free of charge. In addition, they are designed so that they can be accessed with all kinds of bandwidth - even for places with little internet connection - and from any device, allowing women in different corners of the region to be reached.
“Throughout history, women have had to face different gaps in multiple dimensions. Aware that the digital revolution has transformed the world of work, today we are launching #TodasConectadas, a platform that will provide the necessary tools to help level the playing field in the use of new technologies, and thus prevent women from having to face a new barrier that ends up limiting our economic autonomy,” said the Minister for Women and Gender Equity, Mónica Zalaquett, who promoted the public-private initiative #TodasConectadas. "I want to thank Microsoft and Mastercard who believed in us and, especially, UN Women, whose valuable support will allow this project to transcend the governments of the day and become a regional public good," concluded the Secretary of State.
The courses available, free of charge, on the platform will allow women to develop digital skills, for entrepreneurs to strengthen their digital presence by boosting their businesses, in addition to contributing to the digital financial inclusion of women.
To this end, Microsoft made available (on the platform) UNESCO-certified course programs focused on job skills that include digital citizenship skills (critical thinking, security, creativity), transversal skills (effective communication, leadership), to training in roles as a sales representative, project management or digital marketing; and technical skills (programming, data analysis, artificial intelligence).
“There are numerous actions that organizations can take to build a more inclusive culture and empower more women, and #TodasConectadas is a big step in that direction,” said Sergio Rademacher, general manager of Microsoft Chile. “I see a great opportunity for more women to develop in the area of technology, either working or undertaking it. For us, promoting the technological knowledge of women in the region is key to moving closer to a more inclusive and egalitarian world where more people can access better professional careers.”
“Access to quality education, lack of support networks and economic opportunities is one of the most serious inequalities and discriminations that affect women. Because that deprives them of opportunities for empowerment, social advancement and economic freedom. That discrimination is even worse in the areas of technology and STEM careers. The #TodasConectadas platform is an opportunity to provide many women in Latin America and the Caribbean with access to education, connection, and economic opportunities that they have been denied in other instances. The more autonomy, the less violence against women,” said María Inés Salamanca, Regional Specialist for Strategic Alliances at UN Women.
“For millions of women, digital inclusion is a fundamental step to strengthen their economic potential and as we emerge from the first pandemic of the digital era, the economic recovery has to be equal in terms of gender,” said Patricio Sandoval, country manager. of Mastercard for Chile and Paraguay. “Increasing women's access to digital tools and resources is essential for an increasingly digital world. From Chile, we will be collaborating with Banco Santander's Superdigital to offer women solutions that will support the personal and economic growth necessary to work in the 21st century. Thanks to the alliance with Superdigital in Chile, women will be able to have an inclusive means of payment and access a Superdigital Mastercard digital prepaid card with no maintenance cost for 3 years, along with other benefits that will be reported.”
According to María Eugenia Carracedo, Director of Communications at the NGO Eidos Global, “The remote learning of new skills proposed by #TodasConectadas has the enormous power of giving women the opportunity to continue learning, especially considering that the unequal distribution of care tasks often leaves us relegated in the possibility of accessing instances of training, development and professional growth”.
In the future, this platform will continue to grow to incorporate more training resources and community spaces, being a link point to the different initiatives in the region, so that more women go digital, acquire new tools and expand their networks locally and regional, in addition to promoting their enterprises, access more and better job opportunities and participate in digital markets where they can market and access products online.
The platform is easily accessible from any device at www.todasconectadas.org
Tags: #TodasConectadas, Regional Alliance for the Digitization of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, Chile, Eidos Global, MasterCard, Ministry of Women and Gender Equity in Chile, UN Women, Skilling