Jamaican women are getting help from their government and its American counterpart, which have team up to launch a new initiative to aid them.

The initiative will help Jamaican women address common barriers such as financing, marketing, branding, and licensing EdTech products. The initiative, dubbed the Jamaican EdTech Women POWER Connect, will create lasting connections between American women and their counterparts here in Jamaica in education technology and provide a forum to share experiences in starting and expanding an EdTech business.

In explaining about the initiative, Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Kingston, John McIntyre pointed to its importance at this time.

According to McIntyre, “the importance of the EdTech sector and the role of women entrepreneurs in this field have never been more apparent than it is right now, as countries struggle to educate their children in the context of the pandemic.”

Speaking at the virtual launch of the initiative last Friday (May 14), the Charge d’Affaires at the US Embassy added, “we also know that the success of global economic recovery efforts depends on our ability to include all citizens in the economy, especially women.” The launch was also attended by Education, Youth and Information Minister, Fayval Williams.

Details on the EdTech initiative

EdTech will also seek to leverage public sector opportunities and public-private partnerships, which are key to the education sector. The programme will benefit 37 women entrepreneurs in Jamaica and their peers in the United States who either already have an EdTech business or have a concept to launch.

The programme is being funded through Providing Opportunities for Women’s Economic Rise (POWER), the US Department of State Bureau for Economic and Business Affairs’ initiative to support women’s entrepreneurship and economic empowerment. POWER helps women in the United States and abroad identifies opportunities and develops competitive strategies in emerging sectors traditionally dominated by men.

“This initiative also complements USAID efforts to help bridge the technology gap among students by supporting the Government of Jamaica’s “One Laptop or Tablet Per Child”, according to a statement issued about the initiative. In all, USAID contributed more than 2,000 laptops or tablets across the country to support distance learning during the pandemic.

In places like Montego Bay’s Flanker neighborhood, designated as a hotspot for crime and violence, USAID programming also helped a local church establish a learning center to assist with virtual learning. USAID assistance provided equipment (laptops, tablets), internet access, and established strict COVID-19 guidelines that enable the center to operate safely.

This assistance is in addition to the more than J$600 (One Jamaica dollar=US$0.008 cents) million in COVID-19 assistance the United States has provided to Jamaica, the statement added.