Tegucigalpa, November 15th 2022 - Promoting the employment of women in technological areas, as well as contributing to closing the female unemployment gap in the region, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), through the Social Support Foundation (FAS), approved a US$500,000 grant to the Association of Youth Entrepreneurs of Costa Rica, executed by Junior Achievement Americas, as a regional affiliate of Junior Achievement Worldwide to co-finance the implementation of the Digital Woman Program (She's Digital).  

The program will benefit a total of 7,500 participants and is aimed at the training and employability of women between the ages of 17 and 30 in situations of social and economic vulnerability, allowing for greater promotion of female employability in the digital technology industry in the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Mexico.

"For CABEI, it is key to support women in accessing knowledge that will enable them to obtain better job opportunities and increase their participation in the digital economy in the region, improving their living conditions and those of their families," said CABEI Executive President Dr. Dante Mossi.  

With Mujer Digital (She's Digital), participants will not only develop different digital competencies, they will also be certified in web development and cybersecurity and will learn social-emotional, work and financial planning skills.   

The program also has the collaboration of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through the IDB LAB, its innovation lab, Amazon Web Services, Delta Air Lines, and Cisco.  Junior Achievement (JA) Americas, a subsidiary of Junior Achievement (JA) Worldwide, is a non-profit organization that reaches 10 million young people annually in more than 100 countries.

"Initiatives such as "Digital Women" represent the true relevance of social impact, in all its dimensions: from the tools and knowledge, combining life and technological-digital skills where we know there are many opportunities for growth and job investment; from the profile and intersectionality of the beneficiaries, as there are many young and vulnerable women who have little or no access to opportunities of this type; and finally, from the geographical dimension, as we will work in countries with great potential to integrate into the digital economy. Finally, it is worth noting that all of this is possible thanks to the collective impact we will achieve with key partners such as CABEI, among others," said Leo Martellotto, President of JA Americas.

CABEI created the FAS in 2020 to promote high social impact projects in its member countries. This program is aligned with the gender equality priority sector established in the 2020-2024 Institutional Strategy.