The Singapore-based network, known for connecting investors and corporations with social enterprises and startups, has added Connected Women to its community. AVPN’s Deal Share Platform helps funders find causes they want to support, and at the same time, it also makes sure that social purpose organizations are investment-ready.

AVPN provides opportunities to a pool of over 600 members from over 30 countries across the world. With the inclusion of Connected Women in AVPN’s Deal Share Platform, it gives the group the chance to grow and affect the lives of more women, said Co-Founder Ruth Yu-Owen. 

“We are excited to be part of the deal share platform of AVPN. The opportunity to gain access to financial, human and intellectual capital from among 600 members looking to move capital towards impact will help Connected Women scale and reach its goal of economically empowering women,” Yu-Owen said. 

Raising funds for its initiatives has become increasingly more urgent in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put more working women out of jobs. 

On a Facebook poll and discussion  hosted by Connected Women Founder Gina Romero, they found that a lot of families who were able to sustain their needs before are now finding it difficult to do so. 

Out of the 2,000 women who replied to the poll, 1,500 were gravely affected by the economic crisis brought upon by the pandemic. This is especially true for parents who are in a no-work, no-pay scheme, explained Romero during a recent UN Women Online conference.  

“We really need to bring jobs to these communities,” Romero said. 

What is the future of work in a post-pandemic world?

With a lot of people working from home and embracing a “new normal” Connected Women affirmed its mission to prepare women for the future of work — a lot of which are related to digital upskilling. 

With around five million Filipinas already out of work to take care of responsibilities back home, the online job industry has the capacity to employ these women who simply need the proper training and internet connection. 

“Opportunities in the future of work can actually economically empower women. The reality is the future of work is approaching much quicker,” Romero said during the online conference. 

“We want to create programs that help companies understand the importance of providing remote and flexible work to retain their women talents in the workforce and to also open up their talent pool to a group of people who may not physically attend work in a workplace,” Romero added. 

Currently, Connected Women is scaling its efforts in providing data labelling jobs and training for women, mainly from the vulnerable sector. – Jobs that include tagging, classification, and processing of images for AI. It is reported that by 2028, the Data Labeling Solutions and Services market is estimated to be USD 38 billion.

“The Philippines is one of the fastest-growing freelance markets in the world so there’s a big opportunity for Filipinos to be upskilled to tap into this growing industry,” Romero said.

Why is there a need to invest in IT upskilling?

During the pandemic, Connected Women is shifting its training online. Granted, these skills are going to be useful since transitioning to digital and expanding the talent pool to include remote workers are among the foreseeable changes in the workplace, according to Forbes. 

The same article also suggests the need to invest in IT and freelancers across many different industries. 

This focus is echoed by AVPN’s Head of Impact Investment and Sustainability, Komal Sahu, who expressed the need for impact investing in technology. In her article on the website published last April 2nd, Sahu stated that harnessing the power of digital innovations is now more important than ever before. 

“Not only can it reduce the impact of COVID-19 on individuals and businesses, but it can also break boundaries across sectors through increased pathways for monitoring and communication,” Sahu wrote.  

Since its inclusion in the AVPN’s Deal Share Platform, Connected Women hopes to raise funds for its training and forge partnerships with relevant companies and organizations. 

“We are looking for program partners, program funding, especially if you’re in an industry that is thriving right now and you need that kind of support for your business, then we can help you with supplementary labor and you can also help provide income for families that desperately need them,” Romero appealed. 

If you want to learn more about Connected Women and its participation in AVPN’s Deal Share Platform, visit their page here: https://avpn.asia/deals/elevate-2/