To leverage digital technology to empower women, Ant Group in collaboration with the Ant Foundation initiated the"Digital Mulan" Program.Through providing support in basic healthcare and education, entrepreneurship and employment, and diverse development pathways, the program systematically aims to enhance the sense of security, achievement, and happiness among rural women.
Launched by Ant Foundation, A-Idol Initiative of Digital Mulan program consist of integrating industry resources for the purpose of securing initial groups of digital orders, building county-level digital employment centers capable of training management teams and incubating local operating enterprises in collaboration with local governments and providing ongoing skills training designed to help local young people, especially women, acquire technical skills, such as AI data annotation, in order to enhance their employability and establish local pools of digital talent.
The A-Idol Initiative has supported the establishment of 16 county-level digital employment centers in locations such as Jishishan County, Gansu Province; Qingjian County, Shaanxi Province; and Zunyi City, Guizhou Province, which helped a total of over 7,500 people obtain employment in their local areas, 80% of which were part of agricultural households and nearly 70% of which were women. The average income of these employees is significantly higher than the overall per capita disposable incomes in the urban and rural areas that surround the areas they live in.
Digital Mulan Homestay Manager Training Program is designed for rural women and includes vocational skill instruction and digital literacy training.
The digital literacy curriculum features modules on smartphones, computers, and the internet, as well as marketing, photography, videography, livestreaming, cybersecurity, media literacy and AI literacy.
As of the end of 2024, more than 6,000 women living in rural areas throughout China’s 16 provinces have received guesthouse management training, and many of them have gradually become industry experts.