Initiative aims to supply millions of mobiles to women.

A woman living in sub-Saharan Africa is 23% less likely than a man to own a mobile phone, according to research. This figure rises to 24% in the Middle East and increases again to 37% for a woman living in South Asia, found the study by the GSM Association. In total, it found, 300 million fewer women than men in developing countries owned a mobile. An initiative called mWomen proposes to halve this gender gap within three years. The program, championed by Cherie Blair, the wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton aims to provide 150 million women around the world with access to mobile phone technology. Mrs. Blair said there were many benefits a mobile phone could bring to women. There is so much you can do with a mobile phone, she told the BBC World Service. It can help with literacy. It can help with health programs and projects and it's a way of helping women develop small businesses and get financial independence.

Essential item

As part of the initiative, there will be tariffs created especially for women as well as the development of a female-specific handset. It will also create projects to educate men about the positive aspects of women owning a mobile phone. Seventeen global mobile phone operators have already signed up to the mWomen program, pledging more than $10m (£6.2m) between them. According to a survey by the GSMA, more than half of all female business owners in poor countries reported earning more money because of their mobile phone.

Transformational effect

Mrs. Blair said it was not just the women who would benefit from the initiative. If you help a woman set up a business, you're not just helping her, you're helping her children and her family. That has a ripple effect on the wider community. The potential benefits are not solely financial. Reports suggest 93% of women feel safer because of their mobile phone; 85% say they feel more independent. Mrs Blair was confident the initiative could achieve results. If we can reach 150 million women across the world and you multiply the effect of those women reinvesting in their family and in their local community, we are talking a potential transformational effect in development.

We have an extensive experience in the field of mobile application development which is wide spread across every mobile OS. Click this Link to learn about our expertise http://goo.gl/C1mm