Intel Corporation has unveiled a programme designed to reduce gender gap by 50 per cent in partnership with the United Nations (UN) and some local non-governmental organisation (NGOs) in order to expand digital literacy skills among young women in developing countries, tagged the ‘She Will Connect Campaign.’
DigitalSENSE Business News reports that the event, hosted by UN and Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) was flagged off with an exclusive screening of the Intel ‘Girl Rising’ movie at the Silverbird Galleria Cinema in Victoria Island, Lagos, witnessed by young girls from schools in across the state of excellence to mark the International Day of the Girl Child.
The event also enjoyed the support of several NGO’s and other organizations namely Zonta International Clubs in Nigeria, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy, Nigerians Report Online and the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) among others.
The Country Manager, Intel West Africa, Mr. Olubunmi Ekundare restated Intel’s commitment to bring about positive change for the African Girl Child, stressing that educating the girl child is equivalent of a smart world where youths are inspired to be advocates for change.
Ekundare said that technology plays important role in empowering girl child through education and noted “the Internet has transformed the lives of billions of people. It functions as a gateway to ideas, resources and opportunities that never could have been realized before. But our research shows that girls and women are being left behind.” We believe that closing the Internet gender gap has tremendous potential to empower women and enrich their lives as well as all the lives they touch.”
Also speaking, internationally acclaimed producer of the Intel ‘Girl Rising’ film, Holly Gordon explained the rationale behind the documentary, stressing, ‘When you educate girls, good things happen. The individual stories in this movie are not remarkable; they focus a light on barriers girls face trying to get an education every day.”
Earlier in his address the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki- Moon, who was represented by the Officer-in-Charge, United Nations Information Centre, Lagos, Mr Oluseyi Soremekun said that empowering girls, ensuring their human right and addressing the discrimination and violence they face are essential to progress for the whole human family, hence organization launched the Global Education First Initiative to accelerate progress in getting every child into school, especially girls.
DigitalSENSE Business News gathered that Intel has set out a grand design to work with a diverse set of partners including global and local NGOs, corporations and governments to achieve its goal of educating as many girls as possible starting from Africa.
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