Communication in an increasingly connected world

Facebook India Technology is the equaliser for the marginalised. Social media and the global community provide people the opportunity to build their skills, a business or something for their community. That’s the power of communication, more so, of social media in an increasingly connected world. Currently, only 24% women have access to Internet in India…

Soochna Seva goes high-tech with MeraApp

Soochna Seva recently migrated to MeraApp from online MIS, which they had been using since 2014. MeraApp is an android-based application, a one-stop answer to all government schemes and entitlements. It is a medium to reduce rural poverty and contribute in rural economy. Apart from this, Soochna Seva team organised a camp to process applications…

Empowering tribal youth for a better tomorrow

Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) in partnership with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) conducted a week long (June 10-16) functional digital literacy training programme with the tribal youth from the most underserved areas in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. These young students are enrolled in Certificate Course in Development Management. The workshop kicked-off with a…

#StaySafeOnline

Stephanie Joy Raison Chief Communications, Advocacy & Partnership UNICEF India Protecting the rights of children in this digital age means balancing, and, more importantly, helping them to learn to balance the risks and opportunities that digital technologies expose them to. Online risks are very much linked to offline risks; we shouldn’t prevent children from accessing…

Community members receive healthy recognition

Twenty students from Baank-e-Loom centre in Saidanpur, Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, attended the FLO Skill Development Initiative 2018-19 in Lucknow where they were awarded certificates for their newly acquired skills. Apart from this, Baank-e-Loom in association with Shine India Society & GRACE Care Inc organised a free medical camp at the centre, which also…

Building Blocks of Social Networks

You are the leaders of social media. People need to know about you and the work you’re doing,” said Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of Digital Empowerment Foundation, addressing the Finalists and other guests at the 5th annual Social Media for Empowerment Awards (SM4E). SM4E 2018 was hosted on May 25th at Eros Hotel in New Delhi.…

Snowballing impact of social media

Malini Gupta Programme Director RBS Foundation Years ago, when micro finance witnessed a boom, I was a mere foot soldier in the larger war for equality. Our battles were many and our victories few and far between. At one frustration-fraught review meeting, one of our sagacious and pragmatic community leaders had brought us firmly to…

Twenty-five women join the SoochnaPreneur bandwagon

On April 14, 2018, DEF in collaboration with Qualcomm took its SoochnaPreneur initiative to Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. The Barabanki leg of the initiative was launched amid much celebrations in Saidanpur village, where 25 newly inducted all-women SoochnaPreneurs had gathered in the presence of DEF Founder-Director Osama Manzar, FLO chairperson of Lucknow Chapter Jyotsana…