<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88360" dir="ltr"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90419"><a href="https://webfoundation.org/research/closing-gender-digital-divide-in-africa/" class="enhancr2_6ad56ba4-814c-98ce-f531-d353bab3c742" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90424">Universal Service & Access Funds | An Untapped Resource to Close the Gender Digital Divide</a></span></div><div><br></div><div id="enhancr2_6ad56ba4-814c-98ce-f531-d353bab3c742" class="yahoo-link-enhancr-card ymail-preserve-class ymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" contenteditable="false" data-url="https://webfoundation.org/research/closing-gender-digital-divide-in-africa/" data-type="yenhancr" data-category="article" data-embed-url="" data-size="medium" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://webfoundation.org/research/closing-gender-digital-divide-in-africa/" style="text-decoration:none !important; 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line-height:19px; margin:0 0 4px 0;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;word-break:break-word;">Universal Service & Access Funds | An Untapped Resource to Close the Ge...</h2> <div class="card-description" style="font-size:11px;line-height:15px;color:#999;word-break:break-word;">Universal Service and Access Funds (USAFs) are communal public funds dedicated to expanding internet connectivit...</div> </td> <td style="text-align:right;padding:16px 12px 16px 0;"> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </a></div><div><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88360"><span><br></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88360" dir="ltr"><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90304">"</span><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90321" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">Most USAF managers do not yet appreciate the importance of investing in solutions to reduce the gender digital divide. <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90322">Many assume that investment in any internet access solution will equally benefit both men and women, which is unfortunately not the case. </span></b><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90324" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">Information about USAF financing, programming, and disbursement is hard to find. </b><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90325" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">Just 23 countries openly publish details on their USAF activities; even when they do publish these details, they can be hard to find and hard to understand, leaving citizens little power to hold the USAF to account....."</span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88360"><span><br></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88360"><span><br></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 16px; line-height: 30px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 18.4px;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88419"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88420">"The </span><a href="https://webfoundation.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(102, 136, 33); text-decoration-line: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88421"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88422">Web Foundation</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88423">, the </span><a href="http://a4ai.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(102, 136, 33); text-decoration-line: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88424"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88425">Alliance for Affordable Internet</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88426"> and </span><a href="http://www.unwomen.org/en" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(102, 136, 33); text-decoration-line: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88427"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88428">UN Women</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88429"> are calling on governments to </span><b style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88430">invest at least 50% of funds collected for expanding connectivity in projects targeting women</b><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88431">’s internet access and use. This call to action is based on our </span><a href="http://webfoundation.org/docs/2018/03/Using-USAFs-to-Close-the-Gender-Digital-Divide-in-Africa.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(102, 136, 33); text-decoration-line: none;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88432"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88433">new research</span></a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88434"> — released today at the 62nd UN Commission on the Status of Women. </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88436" style="font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">The </span><a href="http://webfoundation.org/docs/2018/03/Using-USAFs-to-Close-the-Gender-Digital-Divide-in-Africa.pdf" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88437" style="font-size: 18.4px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(102, 136, 33); text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88438">research</span></a><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88439" style="font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;"> finds that an estimated US$408 million collected to expand internet access is sitting unused in public coffers throughout Africa. Failure to use these funds — enough to </span><b id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88440" style="font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">bring 6 million women online, or to provide digital skills training to 16 million women and girls </b><span id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88441" style="font-size: 18.4px; box-sizing: border-box;">— to expand connectivity to all risks widening global inequality and undermining global development."</span></div><div></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"> </div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"><font size="5"><br></font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"><font size="5" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90449">The Civil Society has a call to action in this area. Even as it continues to focus on food, water and other Maslow basic needs, there is a role in the new economy. A great beneficiary would be the private sector, why both sectors should collaborate with governments.</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"><font size="5"><br></font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"><font size="5" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_90431">Be blessed.</font></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88455"><font size="5">Regards/Wangari</font></div><div class="signature" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1521396302898_88470">---<br><font style="font-weight:bold;font-family:verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;" size="2"><span style="color:rgb(127, 0, 63);">Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - </span><span style="color:rgb(127, 0, 63);">"Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth".</span></font><br></div></div></body></html>