NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, announced grants totaling USD 1.3 million for three non-profit organizations in the Middle East and North Africa to help equip entrepreneurs and job seekers with digital skills over the next two years. The grantees, Helm, IDare for Sustainable Development and SPARK will help reach people from diverse backgrounds in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and the UAE.

Creating more inclusive job opportunities

Access to employment can be challenging for many people, including persons with disabilities. To help improve access to employment and job inclusivity, Google.org will grant USD 400,000 to Helm, an NGO that promotes the inclusion and employment of persons with disabilities (PWD). Helm will in turn run workshops in English and Arabic with sign language translation and closed captioning, that focus on digital literacy and English for business communication to help enhance attendees’ digital and employability skills. The workshops will be held in Egypt, Jordan and the UAE over the next 18 months, and will reach over 1,000 PWD.

Helm will also reach out to a number of public and private entities to help create and increase employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and to connect employers with skilled job-seekers.

Amena EL-Saie, CEO & Co-founder at Helm said: “Google.org funding allows Helm Academy to ensure access to quality education and training prolopment opportugrams that consider the needs of persons with different disabilities towards ensuring better employment and devenities in the MENA region.”
Digital skills for refugee businesses and employability

Photo courtesy of UN Women/Emad Karim.