Cover Story
Hungry, Broken, Bruised, Disappointed
“Ab hamein ghar jana hai, hum bohot ruk liye” (We want to go back home now. We have waited long enough), said Bharat Yadav, who was one of the many migrant workers walking back home because of no work and desperation. We met them on the way to Nuh, Haryana, a small town just 80 kilometers from Delhi. DEF’s team in Nuh works closely with the community through the Community Information Resource Center to cater to the various digital needs. In the time of Covid-19, they have been producing masks which we went to collect to distribute to those in need in Delhi. The DEF Nuh team gave the order to make masks to a local family to help them generate some income in this health crisis.
A step forward with Google Assistant amid Covid-19
Aslam Khan, a farmer from Alwar, Rajasthan had very little place for technology in his life. He did not even have a smartphone until recently. With no formal education, Aslam cannot read or write. Even after purchasing a phone he found it tough to use since operating it involved a lot or typing and reading text on the screen.
Alternate livelihood opportunities help Covid-19 Warriors
On one hand the Covid-19 crisis has put a halt in income generating activities for many people across the country, but on the other it has also helped create alternate livelihood opportunities for many. DEF’s Smartpur center in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh trained local women on how to stitch masks with minimum resources.
Smartpur Covid-19 warriors provide digital assistance for MGNREGA workers
The lockdown has led to a halt in many income generating activities, affecting the marginalised and underprivileged the most. Meanwhile, government has given a relaxation to the MGNREGA workers so that they can resume their work and earn a basic to sustain amid the pandemic.
Virtual Digital centers in time of lockdown
Rahul from Raybaka, Rajasthan, is a differently-abled person whose family sustains on pension. But due to the lockdown the banks are open for limited time so he was unable to withdraw money. He then called up our digital center co-ordinator Irfan and sort his help.
Women of Grit in Bihar’s Bakhtiyarpur
The global healthcare crisis has led to the decline of multiple sectors across countries and communities. Stories about families unable to perform last rights, hospitals reaching patient capacity, unavailability of hospital beds, exhausted and overworked healthcare workers...
The Chronicle of events during the pandemic situation
India has been under lockdown since March 24, 2020 to break the spread of Covid-19 infection. While it is the only solution to avoid community spread, many like migrant workers, marginalised communities and poorest of the poor are adversely affected due to the lack of information.
Why Millions of Indians Cannot Claim Emergency Food Rations
It has been more than two years since Manisha Devi, 35, applied for a correction in her ration card, the document that 814 million Indians officially classified as poor must have to get cheap food...
Chronology of Rumours and Misinformation during Covid-19
The article tries to understand the chronology of events that started rumors, fake news and misinformation about COVID-19 that eventually managed to spread across the communities.
How to bridge the gaping digital divide in India
Almost 27 years ago the World Wide Web rolled out the red carpet for the public without discrimination. Yet, today we stand here still talking about a digital divide that continues to exist...
Episode 16: Arogya Setu: A protection or Intrusion?
Watch DEF's special series on Covid-19 where we connect to our network in 600 locations across 25 states to find out how the corona virus and the lockdown has impacted their area and measures they are undertaking to tackle it.
Serving Migrants
More than 50 days into the lockdown in India, but the migrant workers are still on roads walking day and night to reach home one way or another. Lack of employment has left them high and dry with no support in this crisis. Digital Empowerment Foundation, in an effort to give some relief is providing cooked food and a relief kit which includes soaps, masks, milk, Glucon-D, biscuits and a water bottle to help them sustain on the journey.
APAC Insights with Osama Manzar
On May 20, 2020 the Internet Society Asia Pacific Bureau hosted the inaugural edition of APAC Insights - a series of online conversations sharing views and insights on current issues related to the Internet and its use in the Asia-Pacific. Osama Manzar, a panelist at the webinar discussed “What role has the Internet played in helping communities deal with the coronavirus pandemic?"
DEFDialogue Covid-19 E21: 1,100 Kilometres on Cycle
Bharat Yadav and his family and friends were working in Gurugram when the lockdown was announced. Seeing that work will not start any time soon they left for their village in Bihar on cycles.
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