The Museum of Digital Society: A Living Archive of Digital Inclusion
Bandana was married off at the age of 18 to an older man; she lost her husband just three years after the marriage. Left with a child to take care of without any financial support; her life came to a sudden stop.
With no options left, she tried to find a job, but that too was not easy. In rural areas, jobs for women are very limited and selecting a woman over a man is unusual. Soon all the resources went dry and, there were days when she fed soaked rice to her child and went to sleep on an empty stomach. “Those days were the worst days in my life”, she recalls. Bandana was a bright student and her interest in education earned her a job with an institution registered under Bihar Education Project. Her salary was not good but, she managed to make ends meet. After 5 years, the project got over and, she was jobless again.
She heard about the Samarth SoochnaPreneur Program from her friends. Seeing the livelihood opportunity, she soon joined the program. Initial days were difficult for her as she never used a mobile phone in her life and now, she was asked to use a phone, computer and Internet but, she managed to slowly learn.
Now she is running a mobile information centre and visits people at their homes. She is committed to the people of her community to deliver the services swiftly and promptly. She recalls her transformation from a girl who never used a phone to a woman who connects people to the world. Her journey had many roadblocks but, she managed to get through all of it and become a successful social entrepreneur.
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