Founder’s Note
Whenever Laxmi Kumar Oraon visited the nearby café to get any digital service for her children, whether it was filling an online form or downloading school materials, she would quietly watch the operator’s hands glide across the keyboard. “I wish I could do this too,” she would think, a little wistfully. At that time, she barely knew how to operate a mobile phone. For her, the digital world felt distant and exclusive, something meant for others, not for women like her living in Jhakra, Jharkhand.
In her village, even a simple internet connection was a luxury. Poor connectivity, lack of digital spaces, and limited awareness had long made the community dependent on middlemen for even the smallest online task. But that began to change when Laxmi met Sumanti Oraon, a trained Soochnapreneur supported by the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF). Sumanti was known in the nearby clusters for her calm demeanor and her small digital center that offered a window into the online world.
When Laxmi first entered the center, she was hesitant to even touch the computer. But Sumanti, equipped with the right infrastructure, reliable internet, working systems, and a supportive learning environment, made sure no one felt left behind. She adapted her teaching methods to the learners’ comfort levels, explaining concepts in simple language, repeating steps patiently, and allowing plenty of time for practice.
Gradually, Laxmi began to understand how the internet could open doors: access to welfare schemes, e-learning platforms for her children, online health services, and digital payments. She started assisting Sumanti in daily tasks, learning to handle online forms, apply for documents, and even teach others. What once seemed like a dream slowly turned into her daily routine.
Today, Laxmi runs her own small digital service point from her home, providing essential online services such as Aadhaar updates, PAN card applications, welfare registrations to people in her community. Her confidence has grown, and so has her independence. With a single smartphone and internet connection, she now connects her village to opportunities that were once far beyond their reach.
Laxmi’s journey is more than a personal transformation, it is a testament to what access and infrastructure can achieve when paired with local leadership and sustained digital inclusion efforts. For her, the internet is no longer a distant idea. It’s a bridge that connects dreams to reality.
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