CIRC: A Seed With Great Many Possibilities

By Digital Empowerment Foundation

Published on: March 17, 2023

Community Information Resource Centre, since its inception, has been a source of life changing opportunities for thousands across the country. It has been a symbolic representation of a seed that finds its way to grow into a full grown tree bearing fruits and serving its environment.

SoochnaPreneurs are often chosen based on their entrepreneurial abilities and most importantly their drive to be independent along with serving their communities. This has always ensured sustained growth in the communities and helped to encourage others to hope for better opportunities. 

Tabassum Malik is a 32-year-old woman from Raipur, Uttarakhand. She comes from a poor family and her husband works as a carpenter. Though her husband works very hard day and night, his earnings were not enough to meet the expenses. As her financial situation was getting worse, she realised that if both the partners worked, it would get better. 

With the drive to contribute to the family’s income, she came across Digital Empowerment Foundation and got to know about the Community Information Resource Centre (CIRC) program which was being launched in her state. Tabassum was thrilled to know about the opportunity to be a SoochnaPreneur under this program. She was also very pleased to know that she could earn money by working at home where she could also look after her children. 

Her village is one of the underdeveloped villages and the villagers have to go outside the village to get digital services. After Tabassum opened her digital centre, the villagers did not have to step out of their village to avail digital services. They are able to get all the services in their village which is a relief for them. 

Along with providing digital services, she has also started some sessions on digital literacy at her centre. Tabassum gained confidence to work with digital tools and took up the initiative to take classes because of the training that was provided to her on digital literacy and providing digital services.  

Being motivated by Tabassum’s work, other women in the villages have found the courage to visit her centre to avail services. Now, she manages her expenses on her own and lives an independent life. She is grateful for the opportunity she was given to enable her to grow.