Bullet trains can wait, let’s get bullet internet
We have a long way to cover before we can make quality internet connectivity a reality in this nation that envisions a Digital India
A 15-year journey to bridge the digital divide
It has been 15 years since we took an oath to work with the poorest of the poor in rural India to fight information poverty
DEFdialogue with Abner Manzar
DEF hosted its third DEFdialogue with travel and photography enthusiast Abner Manzar on November 24, 2017.
Is Digital India inclusive?
Concrete and long-term efforts are required to include specially-abled persons under the National Digital Literacy Mission
Liquid identities: A travelogue from the Gateway of India
By Abner Manzar Travel enthusiast The Destination in the Journey Travel makes one think about personal identities. “Kahan se aa rahe? (Where are you coming from?)”, a man asked me near the Beypore Port in Kozhikode (Kerala). It was a little difficult for me to answer the question. If I would have said ‘Pondicherry’ (where…
DEF in Cyberspace
DEF has long standing prioritisation of linking practice to policy advocacy, and linking local to regional and global work through research, advocacy, network building, capacity development and strategic communications in space of internet governance and internet related human rights issues. Since 2011, DEF has been engaged in national and international advocacy through its open and…
Scheme for relief
Jatri Orain is a 44-year-old widow of the same village. Three years ago, her husband died of excessive consumption of alcohol, leaving her with nine children to and barely any source of income. While four daughters were married off early, she was still responsible for five other children who were still at school. At the…
Crowdfunding for a cause
Amid changing government regulations and economic slowdowns, it is of paramount importance for smaller nonprofits to overcome funding uncertainties and become sustainable organisations. In recent times, crowd funding has emerged as a great retail fund-raising tool to support short-term projects of NGOs. In an effort to introduce non-profits to effective crowdfunding platforms, tools and strategies, the eNGO Programme organised…
Expanding the reach in Barabanki cluster
Last month, Team Baank-e-Loom organised a community meeting in Saidanpur village of Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh to register community members for Weaver ID card, which provides a weaver household with various social and economic benefits. The half-a-day meeting registered 40 weavers who have been promised support by the district handloom department. Further, to expand…
Digitally empowering the weavers of Kanchipuram
Last month, Nokia and DEF announced the launch of KanchiLoom, a cluster development programme to digitally empower the weaver community and connect them to technology and the marketplace in three villages within Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. The project primarily involves the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and other digital tools in critical aspects of cluster…