Accelerating development through digital empowerment

Preeti Sinha Senior President & Global Convenor, YES Institute, Yes Bank The world is today closely connected through ever faster communication channels and means of travel. The interplay of advanced communication technology, energy systems and automation is driving change in all spheres. Much of this change has been catalysed by the digital revolution which is now penetrating…

Taking forward Kasturba Gandhi’s vision

The Soochna Seva team in West Champaran, Bihar, recently established a CIRC in Kasturba School in Gaunaha panchayat where 137 girls are enrolled from Classes VI to X. The “school” is actually an ashram where Kasturba Gandhi once taught with a vision to empower girls. In 1984, the people of Bhitiharwa village donated their land…

A mother learns by watching her son

Palanivel is a 15-year-old Tamil-speaking boy who is studying in Class XI at a government school in Musiri village of Tamil Nadu. He comes from a weaver household, and is a young weaver himself who regularly visits the Musiri digital resource centre for digital training. A few months ago, Digital Empowerment Foundation in partnership with…

Upskilling tradition artisans and craftsmen of India

The eNGO Programme trained around 30 participants from various weaver groups and non-profit organisations in digital marketing and in eCommerce at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on July 18, 2016. The objective of the training was to strengthen individual and institution capacitiesto promote and market handloom and handicraft online. Daniel Thomas from Accenture addressed the…

Teachers go back to being students

Angaryarkanni (47) and Sangitha (27) are partners in the journey of digital literacy. They are both ad-hoc teachers at a government middle school in Manglapuddur, a hamlet in Tiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu. Manglapuddur is also home to one of Digital Empowerment Foundation’s latest CIRCs, which has been established in partnership with Mphasis. Even though…

Bringing 18 lakh more women online

‘Internet Literacy for Women’ is a thought that is supported by Google India and Tata Trust. The programme, to be implemented in five districts of Madhya Pradesh and six districts of Bihar, is an initiative under the ‘Helping Women Go Online’ project which aims to ensure inclusion of women by connecting them to the Internet.…

Protecting child rights online

For children, the Internet is a magical entity to quench the thirst of knowledge and curiosity. However, networking etiquettes, Internet safety and online privacy needs to be discussed. According to a UNICEF poll, over 40 per cent of the 10,000 young people across 25 countries began using the Internet before they were 13-years-old. UNICEF, through…