The internet is for everyone
Females make up for almost 50% of the world population; yet the proportion of women using the internet is 12% lower than the proportion of men using the internet worldwide
Proxy routes to connectivity
Blocking communication channels as part of shutdowns will only push people to find alternative ways of resistance, dissent and communication: the crux of a democracy
Treat for Delhi lovers
Delhi Monuments is an ambitious attempt to be the one-stop app for exploring heritage sites in Delhi. This initiative aims at simplifying the exploration of cultural and architectural heritage that spans over 2,000 years. The application makes all these possible. From the ancient Lal Kotwals of the third city of Delhi to the more recent…
An Alternative Museum of Handloom Weaving in Chanderi
An Alternative Museum of Handloom Weaving in Chanderi Jane E Lynch Ph.D Wenner-Gren Foundation Grantee On October 18, 2017, I installed a temporary pop-up exhibition in the historic weaving town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh. This exhibition aimed to collaboratively re-envision — and present, as a catalyst for dialogue — the ways in which the…
Saidanpur celebrates Joy of Giving with health camps
Saidanpur village of Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh celebrated Daan Utsav with much enthusiasm on October 4, 2017. A sewa mela was organised by social worker Jyotsna Kaur Habibullah in collaboration with DEF and Daan Utsav volunteers. It saw free dental check-ups and eye bank awareness booths with senior doctors from King George’s Medical University…
Microsoft helps install new handlooms in Odisha
For the last two years, project DigiKala — an initiative to digitally empower handloom weavers — has been working towards ensuring all weaver families in Barpali and Nuapatna handloom clusters of Odisha have least one digitally literate person in the household. Through the efforts of the ground staff, several youth from weaver households have even…
An education beyond classrooms
Contemporary system of classroom education focuses merely and solely on textbook knowledge. This often eludes students from applying their knowledge in their lives or learning from their surroundings. “Education is not just going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life,” believes mathematical genius Shakuntala Devi.…
Digital literacy to help tribal youth uplift their communities
Last month, DEF conducted a week-long training under a certificate programme for 30 young men and women from tribal communities to train them in functional digital literacy. The certificate programme in Rural Livelihood initiated by Bharat Rural Livelihood Foundation (BRLF), at IIHMR University in Jaipur, aims to scale up civil society actions in partnership with…
Assessing and evaluating social media for empowerment
DEF in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) organised a two-day residential training for handpicked non-profits to provide a platform to exchange their existing strategies, challenges, experiences and utilisation of the social media platforms and elevate the endeavours for better outreach. The workshop was organised in New Delhi on October 5 and 6, 2017.…
A unique concept to connect the unconnected enters pilot mode
According to the World Bank, as much as 80 per cent of India is yet to be connected to the Internet. This large population of unconnected Indians largely lives in rural and remote locations of India, where mainstream Internet Service Providers see little benefit in making available their services. It is in these areas that…