“Ashoka knows that when women and girls have a chance to succeed, everybody wins,” said Ashoka President, Diana Wells. “The three winners in the ‘She Will Innovate’ competition are unlocking access to literacy, education, health information, and economic opportunity for girls and women worldwide, while helping to bridge the digital divide.”
From October 10 to November 7, the
Changemakers online community voted for the digital technology solutions they thought deserved to be at the fingertips of girls and women worldwide.
This community, made up of tech users like you, had a chance to pick its favorite innovations from a pool of 11 finalists in the “
She Will Innovate: Technology Solutions Enriching the Lives Girls” competition, supported by Intel Corporation. These finalists emerged from a pool of nearly 300 entries from 56 countries, and then were selected by a review panel of industry experts.
The three ideas selected as winners will receive a cash prize of $10,000 each from Intel to scale-up their solution.
Meet the winnersHesperian Health Guides, a nonprofit health information and health education source, created a mobile app called Safe Pregnancy and Birth that provides pregnant women and health workers with lifesaving health information that is medically accurate, easy to understand, and empowering.
To support hiring in the developing world,
DUMA created an SMS-based job matching service that connects short-term laborers and potential customers in emerging markets. With the click of a button on a basic cell phone, DUMA’s unique software pairs employers with local job seekers to whom they are socially connected.
Aware that 796 million adults lack basic literacy skills, two-thirds of whom are women,
Cell-ED created a mobile phone platform, using audio and SMS, to bring basic literacy to learners anytime, anywhere, and in any language.
Intel employees also selected a fourth winner, the start-up phase entrant
iSaveAGirl. It’s an SMS-enabled web application, powered by the Facebook platform, that will encourage anonymous reporting and proactive intervention in cases of female feticide in India—where sex determination persists despite an existing legal framework that stipulates equal rights.
High-Tech FellowsAnd there’s more! Intel is also sponsoring four new
Ashoka Fellows who are helping girls and men live healthier, smarter, and more meaningful lives through the use of technology.
Alexandra Bernadotte (USA) is creating a powerful feedback loop between K-12 schools and post-secondary institutions with
Beyond 12, so that high schools can better match their priorities and teaching practices to the skills that students need to succeed in college and after graduation. Beyond 12 has tracked the post-secondary progress of nearly 12,500 students and worked with more than 90 partner schools and organizations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
James Whelton (Ireland) is building a citizen movement of young technology experts that have the necessary skills to keep up with the rapidly evolving field of technology. He has crafted a global network of free coding clubs with
CoderDojo, which is built on action-based learning, collaboration, and open-source principles.
Daniela Silva (Brazil) is creating an initiative called
Transparencia Hacker (Transparency Hacker) to spread government transparency and civic participation by gaining access to government data, and sharing this information in an accessible manner.
Tulin Akin (Turkey) is bringing together Turkish farmers and information technologies with
Tarimsal Pazarlama. It gives farmers the up-to-date information, know-how, skills and professional development they need, while also creating opportunities for them to reach alternative markets by bypassing traditional intermediary structures.
These Fellows will each receive strategic, three-year financial support through this partnership with Intel, and also will have access to the community of 3,000 Ashoka Fellows—the world’s leading social entrepreneurs. This combination of resources will allow these new Fellows to engage full-time in scaling-up their ideas at the most critical launch phase of their life’s work.
“Our goal was to shine a light on the innovative uses of technology that break down barriers to access, accelerate digital literacy, and promote economic resilience for girls and women around the world,” said Shelly Esque, vice president and global director of the Corporate Affairs Group, Intel Corporation. “We congratulate the winners with the hope that becoming a changemaker accelerates solutions to challenges impacting their communities and world.”
As the Deputy Director of Intel's Diversity in Technology Initiative, Barbara leads the strategy and execution of Intel's recently announced commitment of a $300M Diversity in Technology (DiT) Fund. Barbara works in collaboration with key stakeholders and respective fund decision makers on an integrated strategy that drives Intel's funding selections and public announcements. She is responsible for developing the infrastructure, operational and implementation design of the Fund that positions Intel to successfully achieve its 2020 full representation of women and underrepresented minority goal. As part of her oversight, Barbara also directly leads the team focused on DiT Fund investments in the education pipeline focused on Intel's immediate workforce development needs. Barbara has a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, an MBA and is currently pursuing a PhD in Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology at Arizona State University.
Prior to transitioning to the philanthropic side of Intel, she spent 15 years in key leadership and project engineering roles responsible for acquiring and starting up new facilities for Intel Corporation worldwide. Barbara led operations for multiple international startups with fast paced ramps resulting in rich and rewarding cultural experiences. She and her family lived in Costa Rica for two years as Intel established a critical manufacturing presence there. She is a Certified Executive Leadership Coach with the International Coach Federation (ICF) and a Professional Facilitator with experience in the fields of program management, strategy development, and mergers/acquisitions. She is a graduate of the Business for Diplomatic Action Fellows Program that resulted in a three-week global leadership exchange in the Middle East and is a recipient of Intel's Lifetime Diversity Achievement Award.