Training and Mentoring Rural Youth

By Digital Empowerment Foundation

Published on: July 24, 2023

The way that my digital education is going, I am confident that soon I’ll be proficient in not just typing but also using laptops and computers to their fullest.

This is a testimonial of a student Aditya Raj who has enrolled himself at the Soochna Adhikar Centre in Deoria, Bihar. 

“Three months ago, we heard about the Soochna Adhikar Kendra in our village of Deoria. Intrigued by this opportunity, I decided to visit the center. The SoochnaPreneur gave us valuable information, and I registered myself in the Mera App. After a few days, I was told to come to the center in my free time after school and tuition, where I could use a tablet and laptop.

Since I started going to the center, I have learned a lot about computers and smartphones. Before going to the centre I didn’t even know how to use a mobile phone. I am now able to make voice and video calls using applications like WhatsApp. What amazes me about mobile phones is how there are so many functions in such a small device; what really interested me was the camera. I have learnt how to click photographs. I didn’t want to limit myself just to mobile phones, I wanted to move to a bigger screen also! The first thing I learnt was how to start and shut down a laptop. Before starting to use it, the SoochnaPreneur made us understand the different parts of the laptop such as keyboard, mouse etc. It was like a basic introduction to computers. The next step was typing. My typing speed is very slow as of now because I just started using a laptop. Slowly my typing speed will also increase. 

The way that my digital education is going, I am confident that soon I’ll be proficient in not just typing but also using laptops and computers to their fullest.”

For many students like Aditya, DEF’s centres are the first exposure to the digital world. Hailing from small villages that are on the wrong side of the digital divide, these students are now becoming beacons of hope not just for their families but also for their communities.