Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of the cryptocurrency and blockchain infrastructure provider Binance, and Women in Tech have come together to provide blockchain educational courses to 2,800 women from vulnerable communities across Brazil and Africa.
Despite growth in the size of the global blockchain market, which is forecast to grow from $2.93billion in 2021 to around $200billion by 2028, the gender gap in tech has widened over the past four decades, with only one woman in every five people working in the industry today.
As an international non-profit organisation, it’s companies like Women in Tech that are actively seeking to close this gap. Together with Binance, the organisation’s ambition is to provide more women with career opportunities on the blockchain.
Binance Charity has made a formal donation of BUSD$250,000 to fund a six-month pilot project to empower women with the knowledge and skills to thrive in a blockchain and Web3 future.
Courses will be offered in classes of 25 to young women aged 15 to 25 by qualified trainers in-person, online or as a hybrid. The Web3 courses will be designed by Binance Academy and adapted to meet the local context. Courses will include the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and the blockchain, decentralisation, Web3 and the Metaverse.
Classes will be designed for complete beginners and will include skills such as web development, front-end development, full-stack development and complete with the Blockchain modules.
The first courses are expected to commence in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, and Cape Town, South Africa, in October of this year.
The Brazil pilot programme will take place in Morro dos Prazeres, Rio de Janeiro, for one of the first cohorts of 50 women, over the course of the following five months another 300 women will be signed up to the program countrywide.
The South Africa pilot will take place in Cape Town at the Philippi Village Tech Hub in the Philipp Township for an additional 50 women. Over the duration of the six months, further programmes will be rolled out across Zambia, Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, Burundi, Kenya, Ghana and Ivory Coast.
“Binance believes the future of crypto should be built by all, not the few so we’re creating certified courses and removing financial barriers for women, especially those from vulnerable communities, to study and train,” comments Helen Hai, VP of Binance and head of Binance Charity.
“It is important to us at Binance and Women-in-Tech that quality blockchain education, innovation, and research opportunities are within everyone’s reach,” continues Hai.
“We believe that education can truly transform lives,” adds Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder and CEO of Women in Tech. “Not only does it contribute to social justice, but more importantly, education contributes to the achievement of one’s full potential.
“It teaches skills and knowledge, fostering opportunities for sustainable impact. We look forward to our partnership with Binance, making blockchain education accessible to all, especially those women and girls who have been previously disadvantaged.”
