This article was first published in the Mint newspaper on August 17, 2015. How do you design a developmental solution or provide a digital tool for a poor and inaccessible area where visitors are tracked by Maoists? An area so remote that barely any telecom network works, where more than 90% of the population lives…
Balkishan Khawaas, Baldani Devi’s husband who hailed from Bihar, was forced to migrate to Punjab in search of better employment and financial security. In the absence of any bank account, every time he had to travel back home, he would to carry all his hard earned cash with him. A couple of times, he was…
This article was first published in the Mint newspaper on August 9, 2015. More than four years ago, I met Rakesh Kumar from Muzaffarpur. He was at a workshop for about 50 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that we had organized in that city in Bihar. An unassuming person, he approached me with much humility and asked…
I always used to quote in my public discussions that India has more than 3.3 million non-governmental organisations (NGOs), a figure I got from somewhere and stuck with me. I also, on my own, without any substantial support, mentioned that not more than 10% of these NGOs would be working with sincerity and dedication. My…
It was early Sunday morning (8 am on October 18, 2015) and Team DEF was waiting at Chawri Bazaar Metro Station Gate No. 3 for an expected crowd of about 50-60 participants to arrive and register for a walk organised by the eHeritage Project (Shahjahanabad) — Heritage Walk: Tracing Dilli ki Tehzeeb.
“NGOs in crisis” “13,000 in 2 months” “Crackdown on NGOs” If you have been reading newspapers in the last few months, you would have encountered some of these headlines. There is serious worry over the fate of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and what the government intends to do with them. My view is somewhat different: The…
Dear fellow Indians, I am Ramu and my wife’s name is Sita. I have two children—Prakash and Savitri. We live in Doudi, a small village located in a corner of Kesla, in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh. We are actually one of those 100 families who were displaced because of the Tawa dam that was…
Ed Tech Review conducted a full day training workshop in Digital Empowerment Foundation Head Office on 8th June 2015. The training focussed on Digital Citizenship and Internet Maturity. Digital citizenship was identified as a life skill with contrasts drawn out from the analogies of a tourist, a resident and a citizen.
I want to share with you a couple of breathtaking stories of how mobile phones have made a difference in women’s lives The week before last, I was having one of those regular conversations with Sunil Jaglan, the sarpanch who has been more in the news than perhaps our prime minister, more recently for his…
In April, a one-month full-time Training of Trainers programme was conducted in Wireless for Communities Main Centre in Guna, Madhya Pradesh. It was attended by 5 new trainees and 4 previous trainees, who were taught the theory and practical of deploying, configuring and maintaining a Wireless Network.
