Roti, Kapda, Makan (trans. Food, Clothing, and Shelter) has been the refrain resonating throughout India’s tryst with social and economic development from Independence until the present times. These basic needs characterize the modalities of survival and their acquisition signals a foot out of the threshold of poverty. Today, despite significant progressive steps towards social and…
The world is facing a threat of coronavirus with the World Health Organisation declaring it as a pandemic. But it does not change the fact that one can avoid being affected by following simple precautionary steps. Our Smartpur center co-ordinators across India ensured that there is no panic and spread of misinformation surrounding coronavirus. They…
Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) is working to create a pool of resources to help women netizens remain safe and secure online. They launched Hamara Internet (Our Internet) campaign to encourage use of Internet among women in Pakistan by teaching them how to protect their online rights. The initiative was selected as a Winner for Digital…
Dr. Amita Joseph Director, Business & Community Foundation (BCF) It is high time that no one is left behind, in the current interconnected world, we have to help the elderly to learn and reap the benefits of the digital era. In India, there are 106 million elderly of which 98 % of them do not…
As a part of our ongoing research on empowering rural communities digitally, the research department of Digital Empowerment Foundation produced two reports on Understanding Agriculture and ICT Practices in India and Enhancing Livelihood of Artisans and Weavers in Knowledge Economy in the month of February 2020. Both the reports have tried to shed light on…
Mohini, a resident of Saidanpur, Uttar Pradesh, is a housewife. Due to her husband’s busy schedule she was unable to get regular checkups during her pregnancy. Pooja Devi, one of the DEF’s Soochnapreneurs, with her smartphone and internet met her and the first thing she did was to link her to the maternity benefit program…
Navti, a 42-year-old mentee from Village Sawroli of Palgarh District, Maharashtra, has been supporting her family financially since the age of 10. She started as a next-door babysitter and earned bare minimum wages. But soon her capabilities and integrity attracted bigger opportunities and she moved to Mumbai to be an in-house babysitter. She travelled internationally…
Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) supported by US India Policy Institute (USIPI) has set up eight community information resource. Most of these places do not even have a motorable road or direct transport. But the coordinators of these digital centers with the help of their laptops and internet ensure access to information to them. One of…
Menstruation is a biological process, a body expulsion exclusive to women. Management of this process of bleeding is a very crucial factor in a women’s life as she will experience around 400 periods in her life. However, menstrual options for women are few. In scenarios where resources are low, menstruation is poorly managed by the…
As of last year, India is the fifth largest economy in the world (IMF), and business is booming. International trade partnerships with China and the USA flourish year on year, and 271 million people have been lifted out of poverty in the past decade (UN). Yet roughly 30 per cent of the country is illiterate (Oxfam India) and as in…