Initiated in 2002, the GenARDIS small grants fund supports work on gender-related issues in information and communication technologies (ICTs) for African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) agricultural and rural development. The programme offers 15 grants of 7,000 Euro each for research programmes, training courses, publications, broadcasts, theatre productions, promotion materials, and other initiatives the organisers consider to be innovative. According to the organisers, the grant programme was developed in recognition of the constraints and challenges encountered by rural women in ACP countries with respect to ICTs. The challenges include cultural factors that hinder women’s access to ICTs; limited time availability to participate in training and use of ICTs; minimal access to technology such as radios, mobile telephones, or computers; and inadequate availability of information in local languages that is relevant to local contexts.

Proposed projects should be designed to:

• increase understanding of gender differences in the use of ICTs;
• promote ICT use among rural women;
• improve rural women’s access to ICTs;
• improve the skills and capacities of rural women in using ICTs;
• increase the attractiveness of ICTs for rural women by providing relevant content; and
• improve use of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) applications.

Click here for more information about the award in English.

Click here for more information about the award in French.

Proposals can be submitted in English and French. Submissions via online form and e-mail are preferred, though post is also accepted. Submissions must be received to the contact below by June 2 2008.

Click here for additional application information, and to apply online.

Click here for previous winners.