Funding Decisions

Project Title: A platform against violence on women journalists in Sudan

Testing country: Sudan

Testing period: 12 months

Amount: $246,710

Alternatives will develop and test a new digital database designed to improve the safety of women journalists and protect women’s rights in Sudan. By collecting secure data on violence and harassment experienced by women journalists, the online tool will help organizations and the international community better understand gender-based violence in the region and improve prevention and response methods.

Project Title: Girls Groundswell

Testing Country: Guatemala

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $198,574

Canada SOS will test an innovative approach to improving educational performance and retention among rural Mayan youth, especially girls, in Guatemala, using student-driven “learning circles” supported by e-learning technologies. “Learning circles” will be led by trained Indigenous youth (aged 13-21) who will mentor students in grades 4-6 to encourage academic reinforcement and improved educational outcomes.

Project Title: Midwifery Active Digitization Empowerment Initiative for Tanzania

Testing Country: Tanzania

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $250,000

CNIS will test the use of digital augmentation to improve and expand the delivery of midwifery curriculum at Tanzania’s Nursing Training Colleges. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of digital learning as a cost-effective alternative to standard classroom training, with the goal of increasing availability of quality care for women at risk of maternal and neonatal mortality in low- and middle-income countries.

Project Title: Remote Ultrasound capacity building for Antenatal Access

Testing Country: Ethiopia

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $250,000

In partnership with the University of Saskatchewan, Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (CPAR) will design and test a capacity building program that will increase access to  obstetrical care in rural Ethiopia by bringing potentially life-saving prenatal ultrasound imaging – and associated diagnostic, preventative and therapeutic capacities-to pregnant women in remote areas of Ethiopia. The goal is to test the delivery of synchronous ultrasound services in selected Health Centers for pregnant women, who are unable to access regular obstetrical antenatal care (ANC) by training health officers, nurses and/or midwives to use synchronous ultrasound technology in consultation with an Obstetrician located in a regional hospital.

Project Title: Technology & Training for Quality and Equality

Testing Country: Nicaragua

Testing period: 14 months

Amount: $250,000

Change for Children will test a new training program and digital resource database for teachers in remote indigenous communities of Nicaragua. The offline, technology-enabled, linguistically and culturally-appropriate MOOC (massive open online course) will be tested to determine its impact on teacher capacity, classroom resources, quality of instruction and gender equality.

Project Title: Inclusive E-Learning for Ugandan Youth

Testing Country: Uganda

Testing period: 12 months

Amount: $213,814

Embrace International Foundation will test a new approach to self-directed e-learning through the use of Mobile Learning Labs, which consist of a portable plug-and-play server RACHEL (Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning) and tablets. The project aims to empower and improve the lives of students in rural Uganda, especially girls and those living with disabilities, by promoting skills development and improving enrolment rates.

Project Title: Kieni Fighters Resource Centre for Women and Girls

Country: Kenya

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $214,945

KIDS Initiative will test a new holistic prevention program, the Kieni Fighter Resource Centre for Women and Girls, that addresses behavioural, biomedical, and structural risks of HIV/AIDS infection for women and girls in Kenya. The project, which includes training to promote alternative livelihood opportunities and incentives to increase educational completion rates, is designed to reduce exposure to the root causes of the feminization of HIV/AIDS.

Project Title: Increasing poultry production in Zambia

Testing Country: Zambia

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $249,030

OVO will test the distribution of solar chicken egg incubators with related training as a means to help farmers in Zambia raise more chickens, diversify their incomes and improve their overall livelihoods.

Project Title: Preventing Cervical Cancer in India through Self-sampling (PCCIS)

Testing Country: India

Testing period: 15 months

Amount: $250,000

Ryerson will test the introduction of a self-sampling method, supported by a sexual health literacy intervention, to increase screening for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and cervical cancer among rural women in India. The project aims to facilitate timely screening for HPV and help to decrease cervical cancer mortality rates in areas where the Papanicolaou (Pap) test is not easily accessible to women.