In celebration of International Women’s Day, Ooredoo is the main sponsor of this year’s ‘Tech Age Girls’ programme in Myanmar by providing digital devices and Internet connectivity to participating libraries, along with training fees for technology and leadership courses.
The programme is held in partnership with Myanmar Book Aid and Preservation Foundation (MBAPF) with the goal to empower girls and enable them to become leaders in technology.
Tech Age Girls is a nine-month long programme for girls aged 16 to 20 years selected from MBAPF project of 150 libraries that Ooredoo supports with connectivity and hardware across the country.
Two trainers, including one librarian from each of the participating libraries, will attend the ToT (Training of Trainers) in Yangon, and upon return to their regions, will share the prospective training. Once completed, 20 outstanding students will work on individual projects for the development of their communities.
The programme is tailored to equip young girls with essential technology and leadership skills that will allow them to become female leaders in this tech-driven age. Programme subjects include digital literacy facilitation skills, project management, and job skills, among others.
Moreover, it will empower girls to catalyse positive change and become role models for youth in their communities, build their skills, increase their employability, encourage them to pursue education, and generate social capital.
Ooredoo Myanmar acting CEO Alok Verma said, “Women leaders are a major force in today’s society. We are starting to see more and more women at the forefront of the tech industry.
“We, at Ooredoo Myanmar, are very proud that women make up 46% of our workforce, 37% of them being in senior management positions. We are committed to women’s advancement, not only internally but also empowering women in all facets of society partnering with initiatives such as Tech Age Girls and Connected Women Conference.”
MBAPF executive director Thant Thaw Kaung said, “We are extremely grateful to Ooredoo Myanmar for its support to our Tech Age Girls Myanmar Project in 2019. In fact, Ooredoo Myanmar has been supporting this project since 2016 by giving free internet and devices.
“Because of all this support, TAG Project was able to continue for four straight years and also received the prestigious ‘Gender Empowerment and Innovation Award’ in 2018 by Seed Alliance at IGF Conference at Unesco headquarter in Paris.”