Gender Equality, Decent Work, & Economic Growth

Gender Equality, decent work, & economic growth

Part 2 of 3: increasing our impact through educational technology

Welcome back to the second post in our series about increasing impact through educational technology! You can find the first post here.

Over the last year, Venture 2 Impact (V2I) has leveraged educational technology (EduTech) to support our diverse partners. With creative applications of technology, we can increase our reach and positive long-term impact. In this and the following blog post, I will highlight some ways in which V2I has leveraged technology to advance gender equality, employment, and education.

The CHALLENGE

Approximately 80% of human trafficking survivors end up returning to shelters after leaving, due to limited communication skills and a high vulnerability to revictimization.

Empowerment Square is an NGO in New York City that helps female survivors of human trafficking rebuild their lives from the ground up. Many female survivors aren’t able to secure employment due to safety concerns or language barriers, making it almost impossible to find a workplace where they can feel safe and contribute. However, these women have their own valuable skills – they just need a pathway to use them.

The innovation

In partnership with Microsoft, V2I helped the staff, volunteers, and program participants of Empowerment Square increase their knowledge and skills related to e-commerce to develop Village Square – a curated, socially conscious, online marketplace, that will create opportunities and offer comprehensive business support for female survivors of human trafficking.

The virtual training focused on e-commerce, a necessity given the increasingly digital nature of our world and restrictions created by the pandemic. Additionally, the benefits of virtual work mean that survivors can work from any location where they feel comfortable and secure. Since we delivered it entirely online, participants were all able to access the training from their own devices, eliminating any physical or safety barriers to attendance.

The impact

By providing this training, we have not only directly impacted lives, but indirectly impacted them, as the participants will be able to use their new knowledge for widespread benefit. In our post-training survey, 100% of participants indicated that they had an increased understanding of e-commerce and the next steps required to launch Village Square, which has the potential to positively impact female survivors around the globe.

Volunteers also shared the impact that the training program had on them:

“...In doing research on the project and learning more about V2I and Empowerment Square, I learned so much and am honored to be able to contribute to such an incredible cause.”

“When I came across this project, I felt moved by its mission and story as I’m passionate about empowering others, especially women ... [I was] honoured to be helping with a great cause, and I’m looking forward to other ways I can be involved as a volunteer.”

How might you leverage Edutech?

After the last 18 months of working from home, virtual training might not seem very innovative – but there are some surprising benefits of educational technology that you can leverage to increase your organization’s impact and reach:

Safe Work Environments

While many people experiencing displacement and hardship don’t have access to a safe home or country, they may have temporary accommodations or support where they feel somewhat comfortable and secure. Having to leave that to go to an unfamiliar workplace or school can be difficult, particularly if it triggers traumatic memories. Providing entrepreneurship and employment training and other opportunities virtually allows people experiencing vulnerability to access education and generate an income without having to venture somewhere unknown and potentially unsafe.

Preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

Nearly all natural, political, and humanitarian disasters increase the risk of GBV. Not having to travel for income generation reduces these risks dramatically. Whether you are providing virtual employment opportunities or broadcasting educational programs over the radio, being able to access the programs from anywhere can benefit women and girls in a wide range of situations.

to conclude

Our partnership with Microsoft and Empowerment Square has supported female survivors of human trafficking, and as Empowerment Square continues to develop Village Square, more women and communities will indirectly benefit from the training and expertise provided.

This demonstrates just some of the benefits to leveraging technology and virtual employment opportunities. If you have any questions, or would be interested in partnering with us, please contact fadi@venture2impact.org.

We’ll touch on more in our next, and final, educational technology blog post!