Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison has enabled more than 1,500 Indonesian women to share their ideas through the SheHacks program in an effort to close the gender gap in technology.

With a focus on digital technology, the Indian telecommunications company is working to close the gender gap by helping women gain equal opportunities in areas such as the economy, education and health .

As a result, the program, which started in October 2020 and ended in December 2021, enabled 1,548 Indonesian women to develop their skills in the use of digital technology; of these, the program registered 1,453 participants between the ages of 15 and 40 and received 477 problem-solving proposals in 2021.

In contrast, the programs for 2020 had a total of only 95 participants and 30 proposals submitted.

The 2021 programs also had a broader reach, with 23% of the total participants coming from outside the island of Java.

“We truly appreciate the enthusiasm of more than a thousand inspiring Indonesian women who showed extraordinary ideas and creations in SheHacks 2021,” said Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Steve Saerang .

“Seeing the spirit of Indonesian women in finding the right solution to overcome real life problems through technology, we believe that women will play an important role in the sphere of digital technology to support the advancement of the nation. in the future,” adds Saerang.

The company has also collaborated with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UN Women, and GSMA Connected Women to host a series of webinars for attendees and the public on sharing technology knowledge and empowering women through influential figures in the technology sector.

Additionally, mentorship and strategic partner sessions were offered to finalists, and a place in the buddy program was offered to the top five finalists.

The strategic partner sharing sessions aimed to impart in-depth knowledge on issues affecting women, including the use of technology to promote entrepreneurship and family well-being, access to quality education and women’s reproductive rights regarding health services.

Between mentoring and strategic partner sessions, the webinars involved a range of influencers.

These included POST.app co-founder and CEO Reza Rizky Darmawan, Oihub founder Dina Kosasih, ITB SBM business incubator director Dina Dellyana, Reblood CEO , Leonika Sari, UN Women Indonesia Women’s Economic Empowerment Program Manager Iriantoni Almuna, and GSMA Connected Women Senior Director Dominica Lindsey, as well as UNDP and Youth Co focal point: Lab Indonesia, Lady Diandra.

The judges included Haryati Lawidjaja, CEO of LinkAja, Faye Wongso, CEO and Founder of KUMPUL, Dayu Dara Permata, CEO and Founder of Pinhome, and Dwi Faiz, Head of UN Women Indonesia Program.

The three winners selected by the judges received cash prizes totaling approx. $7,000.

Additionally, the top five finalists had the opportunity to connect with the right global stakeholders to take their solution ideas through a development process until they were funded under a grant program. four-month match from September to December 2021.

“We hope that the SheHacks program can continue to encourage Indonesian women’s achievement and innovative creations to improve people’s quality of life through digital technology,” Saerang said.

“We believe that women can create significant change, not only for their environment, but also for the community at large. »