Kalle Bhai – A man of many stories
Gyarshi Devi, 49, is one of the key leaders and founding members of the Jagrut Mahila Sangathan which has been playing a key role in fighting the problems of bonded labour and overall backwardness of the Sahariya tribe in Baran district of Rajasthan. She is all praise for the digital literacy programmes and Internet connectivity provided by DEF and ISOC under the CIRC and W4C programmes. “We have benefited a great deal from the connectivity. Our membership has grown mainly because women now find it much easier to come together and discuss their problems through video conferencing. They don’t have to go far to attend meetings or inform the organisation about their problems. All they need do is to go to their nearest centre and get in touch with us,” she says. “In 2002 we started with only about 250 women. The starvation deaths of 2002 made more women join our organisation. But since 2011 we have grown to a membership of more than 1500 women. Connectivity has enabled us to communicate with people easily and spread our message. We have also become much more empowered as we can get information on our rights and entitlements under various government schemes as also all other relevant information much more easily. Our organisation has been empowered significantly,” she asserts.
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