Women in Athens shared their fears, aspirations and training needs, helping ActionAid Hellas shape DIGIWAVE’s pilot programme around real experiences and practical support.
In February 2026, partners and beneficiaries from across the Mediterranean gathered in Amman to co-design the DIGIWAVE training framework — a model shaped by the real experiences of women navigating barriers to the digital economy. ActionAid Hellas arrived at that workshop with something concrete: direct insights gathered from women in Athens through a needs assessment conducted ahead of the co-design process.
Through a combination of face-to-face interviews and an online questionnaire, ActionAid gathered direct insights from women in Athens about their experiences, aspirations and the barriers they face in accessing digital skills and employment opportunities.
Stella Stevi, Employability Services Coordinator at ActionAid Hellas, describes what the team found: These insights revealed that the digital skills gap is not just about lacking knowledge — it is deeply connected to fear, insecurity, and low self-confidence. Many women shared that they avoid digital tasks not because they don’t want to learn, but because they’re afraid of making mistakes or feeling exposed.
“I want to learn, but I’m afraid of making mistakes, so I often hold myself back from even trying.” — participant in the Athens needs assessment
It also became clear that women are starting from very different points, which makes a flexible and inclusive learning approach essential. For many, the process of looking for a job is experienced as confusing and overwhelming — especially in an environment where everything is fragmented across multiple platforms and constantly changing. Some described not knowing where to start, while others spoke about feeling left behind in a world that has evolved faster than they could follow. Especially for those in transition — whether entering the labour market for the first time, changing career direction, or exploring more independent forms of work — there is a clear need for guidance, reassurance, and practical support.
This gap between aspiration and access to the right tools and knowledge was a recurring theme. Many women recognise the importance of digital skills for improving their livelihoods but lack a clear entry point or structured pathway to get there.
“I know I need digital skills to present and sell what I create — especially online — but I’m just starting and I don’t know where to begin.” — participant in the Athens needs assessment
These findings shaped the programme design, leading to an approach that combines hands-on learning with mentoring and confidence-building — meeting women where they are, and supporting them toward wherever they want to go.
At ActionAid Hellas’ centre in Athens, the team is preparing to welcome the first pilot cohort in September. The centre has long been a hub for women facing barriers to employment and social inclusion — DIGIWAVE adds a new and concrete pathway to that work.
“Through DIGIWAVE, we aim to provide the women of the Centre with meaningful opportunities to advance in today’s evolving digital economy — whether by strengthening their professional skills, exploring freelance pathways or turning existing talents and creative work into a viable professional path. Over the years, we have witnessed women here producing high-quality products, crafts and services. DIGIWAVE offers them the tools and confidence to take that further. “We believe that turning one’s passion into a profession should be seen not as a privilege, but as a fundamental right,” says Anastasia Sidera, Employability Services Manager at ActionAid Hellas’ Athens Community Center.
The September pilot is intentionally small. Bringing together an initial cohort of 15 women allows the team to test the full programme — content, delivery, mentoring and support — in practice, to listen carefully to participants’ experience, and to strengthen the model before it scales to reach more women across Greece.
Their experience and feedback will directly shape how DIGIWAVE evolves — continuing the process of co-design that began in Amman.
DIGIWAVE is led by Jovesólides in Spain, in partnership with ActionAid Hellas in Greece, the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research CAWTAR in Tunisia, and Al-Balqa Applied University in Jordan.
Last Update
04/05/2026
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