Empowering Young Women through Digital Literacy

Amara Hub
Amara Hub
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

Females in rural areas across Northern Uganda continue to face gender-based barriers that prevent them from accessing education and digital tools at the same level as their male counterparts. Without equal access to relevant skills and digital literacy, girls continue to be left to be behind and vulnerable.

Amara Hub seeks to tackle digital exclusion and its extended effects in Northern Uganda. At a societal level, we have observed a vicious cycle where the paucity of females engaged in ICT has further deepened as young girls and women lack mentors and are unable to see their perspectives, priorities, and needs reflected and accommodated leading to even more girls shying away from careers in ICT. This has translated negatively on the employability and career prospects of young women. Therefore, Amara Hub strives to ensure that instead of being yet another barrier, technology and the internet actually become an enabler for girls and women.

Our programs help overcome barriers such as gender discrimination, lack of confidence, language difficulties, and low financial literacy which prevent girls and young women from taking full advantage of opportunities available in the global village.

Two-thirds of the world’s over 700 million illiterate adults are women. Illiteracy is a huge barrier for girls’ and women’s ability to take advantage of technology and the full functionality of their devices, such as mobile phones, even when these devices are available to them. It is important to recognize the role of women and girls not just as users and consumers of technology, but as developers and creators of it as well. Much of the digital content we access today has been designed and developed by men — but research has shown that women and girls use digital tools in a different way from boys and men, and therefore their needs most likely are also different. Most of the existing research is from western countries, so a data gap also exists in terms of the priorities and needs of users, especially girls and women, in the global south.

If used inclusively, technology can be a powerful enabler and catalyst for social change and development for marginalized communities.

Amara Hub envisions these communities at the bottom of the pyramid being able to reap the benefits when girls and young women are informed, connected and educated.

Amara Hub

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Amara Hub

We are supporting the shift towards more resilient and sustainable livelihoods in low-income and vulnerable communities in Northern Uganda.

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