Last month, we had the privilege of joining the Foro GLI LATAM 2025 in Mexico City – a vibrant and inspiring event focused on gender lens investing and accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across Latin America. The forum brought together an incredible community of changemakers committed to driving real impact, and we are grateful to have contributed as an organisation.
I participated in the panel “Aprender para Transformar: Educación con Propósito,” alongside brilliant colleagues from organizations like Pro Mujer, Sheva, and Avanza Sólido. Our discussion centered on a critical question: how can education truly empower and transform the most excluded communities?
The Challenge: A Silent Billion
For me, the answer starts with access. Education can only unlock opportunities if the knowledge is accessible to all. But the reality is that hundreds of millions of women worldwide – many of them Indigenous, many of them in Latin America – still lack access to essential knowledge simply because it’s not available in a language or format they can understand.
At Audiopedia Foundation, we refer to this global challenge as the “Silent Billion” – women who are excluded from digital and educational opportunities because of illiteracy, oral language traditions, and limited access to technology. We believe no woman should be left behind because she can’t read or because her language has never been written down.
It felt especially meaningful to raise these issues in Mexico, a country that has officially declared 2025 as the Year of the Indigenous Woman. There is growing awareness around the need to engage more effectively with Indigenous women. What became very clear throughout the forum is that while many organizations want to work with Indigenous communities, they often struggle to do so in a way that is scalable, respectful, and impactful.
Our Response: Audiopedia and Ella.fm
That’s where we come in. Since 2018, Audiopedia has worked with Indigenous communities in Latin America, helping make knowledge accessible in their own languages and formats. We deliver essential content through audio – enabling women to learn regardless of their literacy level or connectivity. From Maya to Mixtec to Quechua, we believe that knowledge should be a right, not a privilege.
One of our newest initiatives is Ella.fm – a mobile-first audio platform designed to meet women where they are. It allows them to listen to vital information on digital security, reproductive health, financial literacy, and more – all without needing to read or navigate complex apps. For many, it’s the first time information truly feels made for them.
The conversations I had at GLI LATAM were not only insightful – they were energizing. So many connections were made, so many ideas exchanged. I want to thank Pro Mujer for creating such an impactful space and for their continued leadership in this region.
If your organization is looking to engage Indigenous women with meaningful, scalable solutions, we’d love to talk. Let’s make sure 2025 is not just a symbolic year, but a turning point for real change.
The future is inclusive. And it’s time we make it audible.