Challenge 3:

Empowering women to overcome poverty through digital technologies

Can you design digital empowerment tools that will transform the lives of women living in poverty?

Women and poverty

Approximately 1 in every 10 women around the world lives in extreme poverty. Access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities is often limited and gender inequality is deeply entrenched, exacerbated by cultural norms and systemic barriers that limit women’s access to financial services, employment, health, education and decision-making roles.

Increased access to digital tools and services provides transformative opportunities for women through access to information, education, healthcare and networking opportunities. Year on year, the number of internet users around the world continues to grow, and mobile phones are the primary and often only way people get online. However, women are less likely than men to own a mobile phone.

The role of engineering

Projections indicate that millions of women will remain trapped in poverty if current trends continue. This will affect individual lives but also hamper economic growth and wider social development. Digital tools and services can help address this issue.

To foster a more inclusive and sustainable future, can you design digital empowerment tools that can transform the lives of women living in poverty, especially those in remote and rural communities in lower income countries?

Make sure your design is consistent with the theme of World Engineering Day 2025: Shaping a sustainable future through engineering.

Sustainable Development Goals

This year, the Hackathon is primarily focused on UN SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

This particular challenge also connects with UN SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and UN SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Participants may nominate additional SDGs that are addressed as part of their solution.

Red graphic displaying white text "1 No Poverty" with icons of a family and an elderly person.

SDG 1: No Poverty

Red background with text "5 Gender Equality." A gender symbol with an equals sign in the center is shown below.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Background

Studies have shown that closing the gender gap in mobile internet use in lower- and middle-income countries could deliver an additional $700 billion in GDP growth over five years. Conversely, the lack of digital access for women can exacerbate poverty and inequality, perpetuating cycles of disadvantage, so access to digital tools and applications has the potential for positive transformative change.

Women’s economic empowerment

Access to microfinance and mobile banking has improved the economic empowerment of women. Mobile banking can increase women’s income through improved financial management, leading to better food security and investment in education for their children. E-commerce platforms also have significant potential.

The International Finance Corporation estimated that women-owned businesses in Africa could contribute an additional $15 billion to the continent’s GDP through digital platforms.

Education and skill development

Online learning and digital literacy programmes have improved the education and skill development of women and girls. Investing in girls’ education in particular has a huge societal impact. It enhances women’s agency and decision making, improves their living standards, and the living standards of those around them.

Education can help to end child marriage and early and unintended pregnancy, alongside improving the health and nutrition of any children they do have, resulting in lower maternal and child mortality rates, and reduced child stunting. Crucially, education dramatically increases their own earning potential and access to decent work, driving economic development and national growth rates.

Health

Women’s health has been improved through telemedicine (remote medical support via telecommunications technology), mhealth/ehealth, and more accessible health information. Physician-to-population ratios in lower income countries are significantly higher than in higher income countries.

For example, in sub-Saharan Africa the physician-to-population ratio ranges from 1:5,000 to 1:30,000, while in high income countries the typical ratio is 1:300. Telemedicine, mhealth and health information services can substantially improve the quality of healthcare.

Social connectivity and support

Access to digital networks and support groups has improved the social connectivity of women. For example, it has facilitated access to women in business or entrepreneurship who can provide mentorship and guidance to those starting out.

Mentoring and support is also important for social support and advice, for example for new mothers or those facing serious illness. Women’s participation in local and national governance can also be improved through the use of digital platforms for civic participation in political processes.

Examples in practice

Digital literacy programmes that enhance digital literacy in women in poverty, for example the Intel She Will Connect programme in Africa which combines in-person training with mobile-based learning tools.
Low-cost internet access, internet infrastructure and digital devices, including low-cost sources of energy to power digital devices and internet access.
Health and education apps, for example iIn rural areas of South Africa, platforms like Hello Doctor have improved women’s access to healthcare services. This app connects users to doctors for consultations via their mobile phones.
Financial inclusion tools such as mobile banking and micro finance solutions. For example, the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh has allowed women to access microloans through their mobile phones, many of whom have reported improved financial security as a result.
E-commerce platforms such as Jumia and Konga in Nigeria which enable women to sell products online.
Digital platforms that foster social networking and advice, collaboration, and mentorship.
Digital tools that support women to pursue entrepreneurial pathways and access to finance, or access more diverse employment markets, such as Women’s World Banking.

Learn more

1 in every 10 women in the world lives in extreme poverty

The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2023

Women and e-commerce in Africa
Gender equality in education benefits every child.
Telemedicine for Developing Countries

Submission steps

Ready to submit? (Closed)

Submissions are due by 26 November 2024 (5pm CET)

You and your team will need to:

Register on the submissions portal.
Create a 5-minute video presenting your solution (no Zoom/Powerpoint recordings allowed), detailing elements of your entry. English subtitles are required for all videos, including for videos recorded in English.
Submit your video in MP4 or embed it from a video-sharing site, such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Write a short accompanying text (Max. 500 words) briefly summarizing your solution and including any information or research that could not be covered in the video, as well as how the solution advances one or more of the UN SDGs. The written element must be in English.

With thanks to Hackathon partners: Dr Marlene Kanga, Théophane Bélaud, Jacques de Mereuil, and Ivan Juiz of WFEO; Indira Ashwini of UNESCO; Katie Cresswell-Maynard of Engineers Without Borders; Firas Bou Diab of WFEO Young Engineers/Future Leaders; and Tennille Scicluna, Ben Erasin, and Adrian Rivera de Domingo of The Big Creative.