“Women in the Arab world are greatly in need of support for the promotion and cultivation their entrepreneurial skills and ideas, so they can one day be leaders and role models in their communities,” says Abdallah Absi, CEO of Zoomaal, in a statement announcing the Women Pioneers Challenge. In partnership with Hivos, the international development organization, Zoomaal is offering to match up to $20,000 USD of funds raised for projects run by women in the Arab region.

Qualified projects will receive matched funding – i.e. for every $10 donated by a funder, Hivos will give an additional $10 – until the project’s goal is reached, the $20,000 is totally spent, or until the deadline of the challenge.

This is the second challenge Zoomaal has launched in partnership with Hivos. The first was last autumn’s Creativity Competition, through which two projects received matched funding of $10,000 USD.

The deadline for project submissions is April 15^th. Click here for more information, and to submit your idea.