The Museum of Digital Society: A Living Archive of Digital Inclusion
In the quest to create a better future for women entrepreneurs, Udyamini was launched a year ago with five pilot SoochnaPreneur Business Mitra (SBM) centres in Assam and West Bengal. The program is now operational across 100 SBM centres and aims to strengthen further the understanding of Digital Rural Women Entrepreneurs (DRWEs). It is planned to help women acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to develop rural women’s entrepreneurship through technological solutions.
An example is Syeda Jarjina Ahmed, a SoochnaPreneur Business Mitra hailing from Nalbari district of Assam. Syeda, who was an artisan before she joined the SBM initiative, used to earn approximately Rs 3000 per month on average. Today, through her SBM centre and the various services she provides to her community she has been earning between Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 per month. Syeda is one of the many women who are testifying that technology is not a barrier but a tool that can help bring change towards entrepreneurship. Many women like Syeda are empowered by the Digital Empowerment Foundation in Assam which offers end-to-end solutions to women engaged in handloom industries and other nano-enterprises.
Although technology is not the only answer, it is an enabler which becomes highly effective with constant training using devices, management of centres and services provided to people like Syeda and others; who are taking charge of being pillars within their communities. They have explained that technology should not be viewed as individual property but as a community property as it helps solve problems that are related to access as well as provide opportunities.
During this 3-day residential Digital and Social Media Marketing workshop organised by State Institute of Panchayats and Rural Development (SIPRD), Assam, these Rural Women Entrepreneurs proved that they are equally capable of understanding and applying newly learned skills such as designing catalogues, product photography, branding & packaging. A total of 50 Rural Women Entrepreneurs from 11 districts of Assam involved in their SoochnaPreneur Business Mitra centres participated actively in the workshop rendering themselves as the primary digital change agents in their communities. The experts from DEF also oriented these women in Digital Marketing and Communication, they successfully cleared an online examination conducted by the Ministry of Panchayat Raj Development and received their respective certificates from both the Ministry and SIPRD.
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