By Sarah Farooqui Mitigating ways to reduce the digital divide is imperative to ensure that the full potential of digital technologies is exploited by all. Case 1: August 20th, At least 27% students do not have access to smartphones, laptops for online classes: NCERT survey. Approximately 27 per cent of the students mentioned the non-availability…
The Martalli Grama Panchayat in Kollegal, Karnataka had been facing connectivity issues. They were also unable to finish any documentation work regarding MNREGA, thereby bringing a halt to the lives of many workers under the scheme. They reached out to our Smartpur team in Kollegal – Palanimedu Spoke Center- for internet services and assistance. Our…
The Research and Advocacy department of Digital Empowerment Foundation produced a report on ‘Improving Livelihoods of Rural Weavers through Digital Training’ based on training provided by DEF and Commonwealth of Learning to 2000 weavers and artisans across 8 states – Andhra Pradesh (Prakasam), Karnataka (Chamrajanagar), Madhya Pradesh (Ashok Nagar), Odisha (Bargarh, Cuttack), Rajasthan (Barmer), Tamil…
By Abner Manzar About five kilometres from Tamil Nadu’s Musiri, a famous weaver cluster, is a small village in the district of Trichy called Manamedu. At its heart is a computer centre equipped with everything required to digitally enable the community’s weavers. An initiative of Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) and Mphasis, the center is a…
Champe Khan was struggling to sustain himself and his elderly parents living in Baytu, in Rajasthan’s Barmer district. A differently-abled person from a poor family, Khan had been facing discrimination and other hardships all his life. He had been unable to avail the government’s Disability Pension due to lack of awareness and documents. DEF’s Samarth…
A farmer from Murpa in Jharkhand, Rajkapur Mahto bought a smartphone thinking his life would become easy. Post the purchase he realised that his illiteracy acted as a huge wall between him and the benefits he had imagined to reap. Soon he connected with our Samarth SoochnaPreneur (SSP) and got to know about Google Assistant,…
DEF’s implementation of STEM for Girls classes has witnessed support and love from not just students but also their families. Sarayu is a student of 8th standard in a school in Telangana’s Yerrupalem area. She, along with her sister Sayura, is enrolled with the program. The entire family follows the class, especially their father Srinivas,…
Functional Literacy Program is an initiative of lndia@75 Foundation which aims on imparting digitised content comprising of basic digital and financial literacy. This in turn will increase life skills and employability amid the economically weaker sections (EWS) living in urban areas. The initiative is under process across seven locations – Almora, Delhi, Ghazipur, Guna, Ranchi,…
The Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) initiative aims to reach out to vulnerable and marginalised community members with Covid-19 specific information on preventive awareness and de-stigmatisation. Ongoing in almost 500 centers across 16 states, including 69 districts, it revolves around the themes of Covid-19 Appropriate Behavior (Prevention and Practices; and Stigma and Discrimination), Covid-19…
By Osama Manzar When the coronavirus pandemic set in and a rigid lockdown brought life to a standstill across India, millions of migrant workers left cities and headed back to their villages to be with their families. They carried with them their sparse belongings in small suitcases and backpacks, but their most valued possession was…