About XOCO
XOCO [SHO-co]
is the Aztec word for little sister.
We are a non-profit social venture with a bold vision to change the game for girls. We empower adolescent girls in Latin America, Africa and Asia to escape sexual exploitation and leapfrog to digital jobs of the future.
Combining EdTech with digital skills development and on-the-job training, we create new pathways for girls at risk of sexual exploitation to skilled jobs of the future. At XOCO, they acquire futuristic skills and build a track record, collaborating alongside the world’s most innovative companies.
We also run global initiatives to promote system-level change: Check out our Gender Lens Investing Resources Hub or listen to our podcast, Shifting Capital, featuring inspiring female fund managers, entrepreneurs and role models in STEM.
Why are we here?
Young girls are bearing the brunt of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and following economic crisis.
Before the pandemic, the number of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET) was already increasing. In fact, of the 267 million young people globally classified as NEET, two-thirds, or 181 million, are young women.
COVID-19 already put 1.6 billion children out of school. In low- and lower-middle-income countries, girls aged 12-17 are at a higher risk of not returning to school.
Young women and girls are more likely to be pulled out of school first to provide care and domestic work at home. As parents lose their jobs, the responsibility to sustain livelihoods often falls on adolescent girls, pushing them into sexual exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence, such as early and forced marriage.
Hear it from them.
Last May 2021, we interviewed adolescent girls from the Global South to amplify their voices and put a spotlight on their need and priorities.
Watch this video to see the pandemic through their eyes.
we are changing the rules of the game
and challenging systemic inequality and injustice.
XOCO’s Leapfrogging Academy
We are connecting the dots between grassroots women’s organizations and forward-thinking companies to empower adolescent girls to escape gender-based violence (GBV) and leapfrog to skilled jobs in the digital economy through an innovative digital education program.
This program targets the most marginalized adolescent girls and prepares them for jobs of the future. The solutions are holistic and will protect girls from GBV and empower them to live a self-determined life to reach their dreams.
EMPOWERING GIRLS & creatING A TALENT PIPELINE FOR INNOVATIVE COMPANIES
Digital Classes
empowerment | research skills | business acumen | agile & Scrum | soft skills
Leveraging gamification, our digital education model focuses on the skillset of the future. We collaborate with world-class companies to offer digital badges matching labour market demand in real time.
Mentoring
making role models visible
XOCO’s mentoring program connects participating girls with role models across the region and the world. Role models are women rocking it in STEM and the digital economy. We’re proud to collaborate with Geek Girls across Latin America and the global BPW network!
On-The-Job Training
building a track record
In partnership with global and local companies, we empower girls to collaborate on real-world projects, allowing them to build a track record and leapfrog to digital jobs. Our partner companies co-create digital badges with us and enable participating girls to develop a portfolio of practical work and gain certificates.
Flagship Program
Our first partner organization is Corporación Mujer Denuncia y Muévete (MDYM) in Cúcuta, Colombia, at the border to Venezuela. To tackle the complexities and multiple challenges of adolescent girls in Cúcuta, our approach is two-fold:
We built the first shelter for Venezuelan refugee girls and their babies in Cúcuta, as their way out of sex trafficking and a pathway to freedom.
We developed an innovative digital education model, combining EdTech with digital skills development and on-the-job training to create new pathways to skilled jobs of the future.
We’re already establishing exciting new partnerships with innovative companies in Colombia. Stay tuned!
Learn more about our impact from the early pilot days to our fully established flagship program.