t 22% of women surveyed in Egypt, India, Papua New Guinea and Uganda who do not use mobile phones say it is because they do not know how to use the phones. To serve these women, mobile tools must be designed with simpler interfaces that overcome reading and technical literacy barriers.
4. Girl Up
Girl Up is an innovative campaign of the United Nations Foundation that is is now 252,000 girls strong. The campaign gives American girls the opportunity to become global leaders by channeling their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for United Nations programs, which help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.
ONE, the global anti-poverty group cofounded by Bono, is launching an initiative to drive awareness and action in support of programs that are helping women and girls lift themselves and their families out of extreme poverty.
6. We Advance
Co-founded by actor and activist Maria Bello, We Advance is a movement focused on the health, safety and well-being of women in Haiti. They work in some of the poorest slums in all of the western hemisphere – Wharf Jeremy and Cité Soleil – where security issues deter the work of most international NGOs. We Advance University is a web and mobile site dedicated to connecting local women’s groups in remote areas to each other, as well as to non-profit support. The site is a directory in which women can easily find services nearby or simply ask for help. For example, a rape victim can find that “two miles away the Red Cross is doing rape tests and 10 miles away there is a lawyer who can file rape-charge papers,” with just the click of a button. The site is also about education and entertainment.