SheHacks is an innovation programme to empower Indonesian women in economy, education and health
Jakarta, Doha
Indosat Ooredoo today announced the launch of SheHacks 2021, an innovation program for Indonesian women that uses technology to address the challenges of gender inequality. SheHacks 2021 is part of Indosat Ooredoo’s sustainability (CSR) strategy under its Women’s Empowerment pillar.
SheHacks 2021 was launched at an event hosted by Indosat Ooredoo and attended by leading dignitaries: Ibu Tri Rismaharini, Minister of Social Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia; Ibu Angkie Yudistia, Millennial Presidential Expert Staff of the Republic of Indonesia; H.E. Fawziya E. Al-Sulaiti, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia; and Ibu Dwi Faiz, the Head of Programmes UN Women Indonesia.
President Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo, Ahmad Al-Neama, speaking at the launch event said: “Compared to the last decade, the lives of Indonesian women have significantly improved, but there still remains significant gender inequality in many aspects of life. Empowering women by improving their economic capacity through the use of digital technology has long been a priority for Indosat Ooredoo. This is why we initiated SheHacks in 2020 and expanded the program this year. Through the program we aim to provide mentorship and training to Indonesian women, helping them develop digital solutions to address some of the real problems they face.”
Indosat Ooredoo sees a huge untapped opportunity to reduce the gender gap through the power of technology. Initiated in 2020, SheHacks aims to empower and improve the innovation among Indonesian women so that they can hack their problems through creative breakthroughs to address the social and economic challenges that they experience today.
During the launch event H.E. Fawziya E. Al-Sulaiti, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Republic of Indonesia, underlined the strong relations between the two countries; the State of Qatar and the Republic of Indonesia, which have led to wonderful possibilities and big opportunities for a program like SheHacks.
“SheHacks is an innovative program that can help women to sharpen their skills and enlarge their capacity.” H.E Al-Sulaiti added, “I hope that this program will empower more Indonesia women in the future and help them to learn new concepts and technology.”
This year’s SheHacks will focus on addressing inequality in three main areas: economy, education, and health. Specifically, the program aims to empower women to increase their economic contribution by fostering entrepreneurship; increase access to education, and improving access to health services. SheHacks 2021 aims to reach more than 1,000 Indonesian women as participants and engage with various other women’s empowerment communities across Indonesia.
“Through this sustainability program, Indosat Ooredoo will continue to assist SheHacks graduates in turning their innovations into real-world solutions, in collaboration with the Government and global organizations such as UNDP, UN Women, and GSMA Connected Women. We hope that SheHacks will be the starting point to reduce the gender gap and continue to create a bigger impact to achieve gender equality in Indonesia,” concluded Ahmad.
To enter SheHacks 2021, participants can register and submit their program proposals starting June 9th until July 9th, 2021. All Indonesian women under 40 years old can join the competition in a team of maximum 3 members. Selected finalists will be given the privilege of an in-depth mentoring and the winners will be announced in August 2021. Lastly, the winners will go through a four-month buddy program where they will be connected to the right stakeholders to actualize their solution.
How to register and complete information on SheHacks 2021 can be accessed at: https://shehacks.id/
Addressing gender inequality in Indonesia
The lives of Indonesian women today have improved compared to before. More and more women are taking on essential roles in various fields, including government and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However, there are still many gender inequality challenges faced by Indonesian women, especially in economy, education, and health.
Until now, Indonesian women are still experiencing serious economic challenges compared to men. A study published recently by the World Economic Forum showed that only 56% of Indonesian women participate in the workforce compared to 84.1% of men. Along with the gap in the labor force participation rate, there is also a significant wage gap between the two of up to 22%. The Global Gender Gap Report 2021 also places Indonesia at 99th out of 156 countries in terms of economic participation and opportunity—a significant decline from 2020, where Indonesia was ranked 85th out of 153 countries.
Furthermore, gender equality is an essential factor in achieving sustainable social, political, and economic growth, considering that almost 50% of Indonesia’s population are women. This is also a commitment agreed upon by the United Nations (UN) member states as stated in the Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) number 5, namely ‘Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls’.