FROM DEF ON THE FIELD

Unveiling Rural Resilience: Kiran Kumari’s Journey of Digital Innovation and Community Impact

Kiran Kumari, a resident of Brinda, Jharkhand, serves as a catalyst for rural employment and women’s empowerment through her Common Service Centre in the remote areas of Giridih. Her impactful contributions to Digital India services, including Jeevan Praman, Aadhar enrollment, Banking, Railway Ticketing, and Stree Swabhiman, have earned her recognition, including the prestigious Digital India Award in 2015 presented by the Prime Minister of India. Read More

Empowering Rural Rajasthan: The Decade-Long Journey of Mohammad Asik’s Digital Center

Mohammad Asik has been the dedicated operator of an eMitra center in Tapukda, Khairthal, Tijara, Rajasthan, for the past decade, catering to a cluster of approximately a dozen villages and serving around 15,000 residents. His center is a hub of over 50 services encompassing e-governance, finance, health, and education. Read More

FROM DEF THINK TANK

Multiple Vulnerabilities of Adivasis and Plantation Workers in Assam and West Bengal

The report “Multiple Vulnerabilities of Adivasis and Tea Plantation Workers in Assam and West Bengal: An Analysis of Socio-economic and Digital Milieux” is based on the Digital Empowerment Foundation’s work with the grant support from the Internet Society Foundation.

Older adults – an important target group for media and information literacy activities?

Activities aimed at enhancing MIL skills commonly target younger people. However, there are a couple of initiatives that cater specifically to people over 60.

India is No.1 again for internet shutdowns: ‘almost a form of collective punishment

India has the dubious honour of being the global leader in internet shutdowns for six years running, according to a recent report, with right advocates blaming a rise in “digital authoritarianism” under the Prime Minister administration.

VISUAL STORY TELLING FROM THE COMMUNITIES

From Challenges to Achievements- Samarth SoochnaPreneur Anita Kumari
Disability was a big challenge for Anita Kumari because her family and friends didn’t believe she could earn a living and this severely demotivated her. She learnt about DEF’s work and approached the local centre. This helped her to uplift her stitching skill and also learn about the smartphone and its applications. She has been growing her business by learning new patterns of stitching and using digital means to reach out to more customers.
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Skillbot Transforming the Rural Digital Landscape of India
SkillBot is the first telegram based chatbot designed for building digital skill capacities of weavers/artisans, youth, men and women, in rural areas of India for enhancing their livelihood. An interactive chatbot customised for this purpose to engage people in a curriculum, which involves reading supplied learning materials, watching the video, listening to audio lessons, engaging in discussions, assessment and learning activities.
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Click here for connecting to other visual stories on YouTube channel of @DEFIndia

WHAT ARE WE DISCUSSING

“Yes We Can!” Say the Amrapari Women of Char Chapori
Amrapari (We Can) is a women’s collective in Assam formed during the COVID-19 lockdown to provide sustainable livelihoods for char-chapori women. Led by Manjuwara Mullah, they support women’s empowerment and economic independence by making and selling embroidered quilts, addressing food insecurity exacerbated by floods and lockdown job losses.

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Community Network Reaching the Everest
Empowering Khunde and Khumjung Villages with the Everest Community Network” aims to connect these remote Himalayan settlements, fostering eco-tourism, preserving their natural and cultural heritage, and providing internet access to Khumjung Secondary School and Khunde Community Hall.

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KNOW ABOUT OUR PROJECTS

Digital Didi
Digital Didi, fighting misinformation and myths around menstruation and providing women at the grassroot level with SmartPads which has a QR code to promote a 100 hour digital literacy course.

Click here to read more about the programme

Krisarthak
Krisarthak is a program on financial education and counselling (FEC) of the farmers to be delivered digitally using ICT tools. Krisarthak (FEC) is one of the core components of the World Bank-funded Project APART (Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation).

Click here to read more about the programme

OUR PRESENCE ACROSS THE COUNTRY