So far, I have focused a lot on safety and offshore drilling in this blog. Today, I’d like to discuss another important topic – empowering women in developing countries.
Why does an energy company like ExxonMobil care about this? Contributing to social development in communities where we operate is an integral part of our corporate citizenship efforts. Among other things, we specialize in creating opportunities for women in developing countries because research has shown that investing in education, training and leadership of women delivers high returns in economic and social development. Some of the benefits include lower infant and child mortality rates, prevention of disease, higher income and productivity rates and broader growth across the economy.
Today we announced the winners of the Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities & Economic Power Challenge, a program we sponsored with Ashoka’s Changemakers and the International Center for Research on Women. The challenge was designed to find solutions that change women’s lives through technology and drew 268 project entries from 67 different countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
You can read more about this in a press release we issued today, but briefly, here are the winners:
Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia is providing training and equipment for women to run community-based bicycle workshops in Namibia, Africa, allowing them to become adept at bicycle mechanics – traditionally a male-dominated field.
Solar Electric Light Fund, USA created a solar-powered drip irrigation system that will allow women farmers in Benin, Africa, to grow crops during the region’s dry season, giving a boost to their income and nutrition.
Lua Nova Association is working in Brazil to train underprivileged and abused women in designing and building their own homes.
These winning projects will help change women’s lives in developing countries by giving them opportunities to become key economic players in their societies. Later this year, the winners will be invited to attend workshops hosted by Ashoka’s Changemakers and ExxonMobil to help expand these ideas and create partnerships for implementation.
The idea for the challenge was a result of a study, “Bridging the Gender Divide: How Technology Can Advance Women Economically,” conducted by the International Center for Research on Women and funded by the ExxonMobil Foundation. The study describes what needs to be done to improve the ways technologies are developed and deployed so they benefit women, allowing them to be more successful in their local economies, become strong leaders, and make greater contributions to their families.
So, it might be surprising that a company like ExxonMobil gets involved in issues like women’s economic opportunities, but we think it has the potential to make a big difference in many parts of the world.
