Aspen Institute Introduces its 2023 Digital Equity Accelerator Cohort

The Aspen Institute and HP Inc. announced the selection of ten not-for-profit organizations and non-governmental organizations in Malaysia, Mexico, and South Africa for the 2023 Digital Equity Accelerator. Each organization is working toward the digital inclusion of marginalized populations and, with the support of the Accelerator, is poised to expand its reach and impact over the next six months. Selected organizations include:

• Digify Africa, which works to address youth unemployment by reaching “high potential, low opportunity” young people across South Africa and providing them with vocational programs, digital skills education, and job pathways;
• Dignity For Children Foundation, which provides access, education, and support for students and teachers across Malaysia to bridge digital gaps in a changing world;
• E-Cubed (DBE-E³), which works with South African educators and youth. Through TeacherConnect, a WhatsApp chatbot, and online community, provides tools to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and inspire success in young people;
• Instituto de Investigación para el Desarrollo de la Educación, A. C. (IIDEAC) which aims to scale Modelo Integral de Educación Digital (MIED), a comprehensive digital education model, deploying it to public elementary schools serving Mayan communities of the Yucatan; 
• La Cana, Proyecto de Reinserción Social, A.C. in México, which provides education, training, and technical tools for incarcerated and released female prisoners, working to improve their social integration and enabling them to support their families upon release;
• National Cancer Society of Malaysia, the first not-for-profit cancer organization in Malaysia providing education, care, and support services, aims to create an online database to enable the early detection of cancer;
• Science of Life Studies 24/7, which aims to create new modules teaching digital skills, professional and personal development, English, and life skills and run learning workshops in Orang Asli and urban poor communities;
• Siyafunda Community Technology Center CTC, which aims to scale its Community Knowledge Centers by training existing community organizations and equipping them with curriculum and equipment;
• StartupLab MX, which will scale its Digital Transformation Program for women-led, low-income, and rural small businesses across southeast and central México, providing workshops, consulting, and digital marketing material, and connecting them with capital and new clients;
• UNETE, IAP, which will scale its “Modelo Integral UNETE (MIU)” program designed to eradicate digital illiteracy in Mexican public schools which have never been equipped with educational technology through hardware, training, mentorship, and more.