While rural India is still gripped with the struggle to achieve cent percent literacy rate as the public schools deliver archaic content without much changes in the basic infrastructure, the students emerging from such an education background often find it hard to find parity in coping with the digital world. Currently, the norm followed by the fortunate few is to achieve digital literacy that goes hand in hand with functional literacy in order to even enter the growing world of opportunities. Read More
Rural Banking and Financial Services
Steady changes in rural India’s digital usage for financial purposes owe themselves to increasing Internet and mobile penetration. It is linked to the gradual success of BharatNet, the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity programme, which according to India’s Finance Minister accounted for 13,000 terabytes of data consumption in June 2021. Rural India is no more isolated unlike its urban counterpart and is fast catching up with the speed of the Internet. The growth in digital financial services marks the landmark rise of the rural digital citizen. The rural Indian economy is primarily cash-driven. Undergoing a change in its predominantly agrarian image, there is an increasing diversification in jobs and incomes in rural India. Read More
Steady changes in rural India’s digital usage for financial purposes owe themselves to increasing Internet and mobile penetration. It is linked to the gradual success of BharatNet, the world’s largest rural broadband connectivity programme, which according to India’s Finance Minister accounted for 13,000 terabytes of data consumption in June 2021. Rural India is no more isolated unlike its urban counterpart and is fast catching up with the speed of the Internet. The growth in digital financial services marks the landmark rise of the rural digital citizen. The rural Indian economy is primarily cash-driven. Undergoing a change in its predominantly agrarian image, there is an increasing diversification in jobs and incomes in rural India. Read More
Imparting Functional Literacy to Economically Weaker Sections (EWS)
Being termed as a literate is nuanced in the current digital era where the ability to read and write may not necessarily be a prerequisite to function in the fast paced world as the focus and the need of the hour has been on skills to use digital tools. As per UNESCO, functional literacy refers to the capacity of a person to engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective function of his or her group and community and also for enabling him or her to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his or her own and the community’s development. Read More
Being termed as a literate is nuanced in the current digital era where the ability to read and write may not necessarily be a prerequisite to function in the fast paced world as the focus and the need of the hour has been on skills to use digital tools. As per UNESCO, functional literacy refers to the capacity of a person to engage in all those activities in which literacy is required for effective function of his or her group and community and also for enabling him or her to continue to use reading, writing and calculation for his or her own and the community’s development. Read More
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs to Practice Digital Bookkeeping
Through experience, it has been commonly observed that with the help of Women Entrepreneurs, a rural community can prove to be self-sufficient in organising their finances which tends to make the people of the community better informed and hopeful in able to receive their rightful entitlements. In this regard, Digital Empowerment Foundation, with the support of Collective Good Foundation, has launched a program in February, 2022 called MeraBills covering 7 states and 14 districts of India with the help of 2,500 Micro Women Entrepreneurs. In this program, a free-to-use Digital Tool (MeraBills App) for formal bookkeeping, online and offline business operations management, and business insights generation to be introduced in parallel to Women Entrepreneurs. Read More
Through experience, it has been commonly observed that with the help of Women Entrepreneurs, a rural community can prove to be self-sufficient in organising their finances which tends to make the people of the community better informed and hopeful in able to receive their rightful entitlements. In this regard, Digital Empowerment Foundation, with the support of Collective Good Foundation, has launched a program in February, 2022 called MeraBills covering 7 states and 14 districts of India with the help of 2,500 Micro Women Entrepreneurs. In this program, a free-to-use Digital Tool (MeraBills App) for formal bookkeeping, online and offline business operations management, and business insights generation to be introduced in parallel to Women Entrepreneurs. Read More
Story of the Learning Capacity of an Autistic Person
Siva Prasad is an eighteen year old young adult with Autism. He has completed his 10th standard in NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) Board. He is capable of reading and writing but cannot concentrate on anything for more than a minute or two. None of the special schools accepted him and other organizations demanded fees which the family couldn’t afford. So the parents decided to take care of him on their own. Being at home all the time, he used to get irritated and hurt his younger sister and other members around him. Sometimes he used to hurt himself too. After meeting him on his visit to makerspace through a reference, it was decided to work with him everyday for two hours. Read More
Siva Prasad is an eighteen year old young adult with Autism. He has completed his 10th standard in NIOS (National Institute of Open Schooling) Board. He is capable of reading and writing but cannot concentrate on anything for more than a minute or two. None of the special schools accepted him and other organizations demanded fees which the family couldn’t afford. So the parents decided to take care of him on their own. Being at home all the time, he used to get irritated and hurt his younger sister and other members around him. Sometimes he used to hurt himself too. After meeting him on his visit to makerspace through a reference, it was decided to work with him everyday for two hours. Read More
Empowerment of Women & Girls Through Digital Financial Literacy
Tally workshops were conducted under the Digital literacy for Women and Girls Program, an initiative by United Way Delhi and Digital Empowerment Foundation. The session took place at both the CIRCs at Ghazipur and Moti Bagh and was facilitated by Mr. Arun Choudhary and Ms. Swati Rai, an expert on Advance Excel and Tally. The workshop was mainly organized for students from the commerce background. The specific objectives of the workshop were to assist the participants to develop an understanding of Tally by providing appropriate knowledge and explain to them how it can unlock various career opportunities. Read More
Tally workshops were conducted under the Digital literacy for Women and Girls Program, an initiative by United Way Delhi and Digital Empowerment Foundation. The session took place at both the CIRCs at Ghazipur and Moti Bagh and was facilitated by Mr. Arun Choudhary and Ms. Swati Rai, an expert on Advance Excel and Tally. The workshop was mainly organized for students from the commerce background. The specific objectives of the workshop were to assist the participants to develop an understanding of Tally by providing appropriate knowledge and explain to them how it can unlock various career opportunities. Read More
Making of a Well Rounded Individual at Makerspace
Roman is a 21-year-old intellectually disabled kid who is passionate about life. Due to his disability, he didn’t get the opportunity to develop his skills within the framework of conventional learning. Through his teacher, he visited makerspace with his father and got interested in its activities. As he stayed far from the centre’s location, his parents were concerned to let him commute owing to his safety. He managed to convince his parents and after a week’s time decided to travel on his own by local bus to reach makerspace. He has shown interest in graphics designing and animation. He has been learning about mushroom culture so that he could start his own mushroom farm to support his family. Read More
Roman is a 21-year-old intellectually disabled kid who is passionate about life. Due to his disability, he didn’t get the opportunity to develop his skills within the framework of conventional learning. Through his teacher, he visited makerspace with his father and got interested in its activities. As he stayed far from the centre’s location, his parents were concerned to let him commute owing to his safety. He managed to convince his parents and after a week’s time decided to travel on his own by local bus to reach makerspace. He has shown interest in graphics designing and animation. He has been learning about mushroom culture so that he could start his own mushroom farm to support his family. Read More
Moving Beyond Gender Bias in Education
Garima Lungphoi is a student in 9th standard from Jagiroad, Nakhola Secondary School of Morigaon district. At the outset she looks like any other young girl but she has been dealing with her share of challenges on her own. Hailing from a family consisting of her grandmother, parents and a brother, she is constantly caught in a flux of growing in her personal life through education with her mother’s constant support and stepping back to limit her growth fearing her father’s reaction. It is the self-inflicted inhibition as a consequence of fear that is the hardest to overcome as it requires a change in the belief system and a sense of trust in it often validated by the environment. Read More
Garima Lungphoi is a student in 9th standard from Jagiroad, Nakhola Secondary School of Morigaon district. At the outset she looks like any other young girl but she has been dealing with her share of challenges on her own. Hailing from a family consisting of her grandmother, parents and a brother, she is constantly caught in a flux of growing in her personal life through education with her mother’s constant support and stepping back to limit her growth fearing her father’s reaction. It is the self-inflicted inhibition as a consequence of fear that is the hardest to overcome as it requires a change in the belief system and a sense of trust in it often validated by the environment. Read More
Increasing Standard of Living by Providing Gas Connection
Kamrun Bibi is a housewife and part of a joint family. There are eight people in her family. Her husband is a tailor however he doesn’t receive enough orders to take care of the family. They would cook using forest wood for a long time and it is costly, harmful and time taking. Kamrun Bibi really suffered because she had to cook everyday with so much smoke, it would affect her health. Once she visited our SoochnaPreneur centre she came to know about the procedure for getting a cooking gas connection. The SoochnaPreneur Mazharul Islam told her about the PM Ujwala Scheme and told her the documents that she would need to apply for it. The documents required are ration card, passport size photographs, bank account details and UID card photocopies. Read More
Kamrun Bibi is a housewife and part of a joint family. There are eight people in her family. Her husband is a tailor however he doesn’t receive enough orders to take care of the family. They would cook using forest wood for a long time and it is costly, harmful and time taking. Kamrun Bibi really suffered because she had to cook everyday with so much smoke, it would affect her health. Once she visited our SoochnaPreneur centre she came to know about the procedure for getting a cooking gas connection. The SoochnaPreneur Mazharul Islam told her about the PM Ujwala Scheme and told her the documents that she would need to apply for it. The documents required are ration card, passport size photographs, bank account details and UID card photocopies. Read More
Facilitating the Right to Housing
Rahila Tirkey is a mother of three children who are studying in a government high school but schools have been shut because of the pandemic. Her family has been facing hardships because of the pandemic and lockdowns. Her children are young and depend on her and her husband’s income. Her family has a small land on which she grows a few vegetables for her family members. She used to live in a muddy house and basic facilities are not available causing lots of problems to their family members. Mazharul Islam, the SoochnaPreneur from her village suggested that she apply for “Awas Yojana”, because she lived in a dilapidated house and was unable to get it repaired due to scarcity of money. She attended the “Panchayat Samitee” meeting and registered her name for her new house. Read More
Rahila Tirkey is a mother of three children who are studying in a government high school but schools have been shut because of the pandemic. Her family has been facing hardships because of the pandemic and lockdowns. Her children are young and depend on her and her husband’s income. Her family has a small land on which she grows a few vegetables for her family members. She used to live in a muddy house and basic facilities are not available causing lots of problems to their family members. Mazharul Islam, the SoochnaPreneur from her village suggested that she apply for “Awas Yojana”, because she lived in a dilapidated house and was unable to get it repaired due to scarcity of money. She attended the “Panchayat Samitee” meeting and registered her name for her new house. Read More
Providing Access to Livelihood Opportunities
Anisha Kerketta is a newly wed house wife and part of a joint family; she has six family members in her house. Her husband and father-in-law used to work in the field and their main source of income was cultivation and cattle farming. She decided to run a suitable business in her house in order to look after her family properly. Mazharul suggested that she apply for a poultry shed, which is more suitable for her and she can use this shed for multipurpose farming. As per rules she has to attend “Gramsabha” and add her name in the village register, thereafter, she is supposed to meet with “Rojgaar Sewak” for Coding procedure and submit [a] UID Card, [b] Job card, [c] Land receipt and [d] Bank Passbook for further process in the related department. Read More
Anisha Kerketta is a newly wed house wife and part of a joint family; she has six family members in her house. Her husband and father-in-law used to work in the field and their main source of income was cultivation and cattle farming. She decided to run a suitable business in her house in order to look after her family properly. Mazharul suggested that she apply for a poultry shed, which is more suitable for her and she can use this shed for multipurpose farming. As per rules she has to attend “Gramsabha” and add her name in the village register, thereafter, she is supposed to meet with “Rojgaar Sewak” for Coding procedure and submit [a] UID Card, [b] Job card, [c] Land receipt and [d] Bank Passbook for further process in the related department. Read More
COVID Warriors Spread Awareness Amongst 3.5 Million People
Kamrun Bibi is a housewife and part of a joint family. There are eight people in her family. Her husband is a tailor however he doesn’t receive enough orders to take care of the family. They would cook using forest wood for a long time and it is costly, harmful and time taking. Kamrun Bibi really suffered because she had to cook everyday with so much smoke, it would affect her health. Once she visited our SoochnaPreneur centre she came to know about the procedure for getting a cooking gas connection. The SoochnaPreneur Mazharul Islam told her about the PM Ujwala Scheme and told her the documents that she would need to apply for it. The documents required are ration card, passport size photographs, bank account details and UID card photocopies. Read More
Kamrun Bibi is a housewife and part of a joint family. There are eight people in her family. Her husband is a tailor however he doesn’t receive enough orders to take care of the family. They would cook using forest wood for a long time and it is costly, harmful and time taking. Kamrun Bibi really suffered because she had to cook everyday with so much smoke, it would affect her health. Once she visited our SoochnaPreneur centre she came to know about the procedure for getting a cooking gas connection. The SoochnaPreneur Mazharul Islam told her about the PM Ujwala Scheme and told her the documents that she would need to apply for it. The documents required are ration card, passport size photographs, bank account details and UID card photocopies. Read More
Students are Stuck in Wars Outside and Within
Children and college-goers return to offline classes after the pandemic sees a downward surge, yet education remains excluded to the nation's minorities and marginalised as polarising politics takes freedom of religion, expression, and dressing head-on. Also, the world ponders intervening as another war hits Europe - and here too, Indian students are stuck - waiting to be evacuated from Ukraine to come home safe and sound. One of the most notable changes in the past week has to do with a change in education unseen in the last two years. Since schools, colleges and most institutions closed in March 2020 in India after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, February 2022 marks a near pan-country return to classes and modes of teaching that are not relegated to the screens and online meetings. Read More
Children and college-goers return to offline classes after the pandemic sees a downward surge, yet education remains excluded to the nation's minorities and marginalised as polarising politics takes freedom of religion, expression, and dressing head-on. Also, the world ponders intervening as another war hits Europe - and here too, Indian students are stuck - waiting to be evacuated from Ukraine to come home safe and sound. One of the most notable changes in the past week has to do with a change in education unseen in the last two years. Since schools, colleges and most institutions closed in March 2020 in India after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, February 2022 marks a near pan-country return to classes and modes of teaching that are not relegated to the screens and online meetings. Read More
Disinformation in the Time of War and Elections
Europe is witnessing a war, the 'first of its kind' after the fall of the Reichstag in 1945 and the establishment of the United Nations. In India, the ruling party faces one of its toughest challenges yet in the recent round of state elections. And both have led to a barrage of disinformation and censorship. Last week saw the Russia's army under Vladimir Putin's instructions launch an attack on their neighbouring Ukraine, after having recognised the independence of the two Donbas republics. The reasons for a war or invasion have been plentily debated and researched and has even been hinted at and predicted by policy experts including the american empire's very own Henry Kissinger. Read More
Europe is witnessing a war, the 'first of its kind' after the fall of the Reichstag in 1945 and the establishment of the United Nations. In India, the ruling party faces one of its toughest challenges yet in the recent round of state elections. And both have led to a barrage of disinformation and censorship. Last week saw the Russia's army under Vladimir Putin's instructions launch an attack on their neighbouring Ukraine, after having recognised the independence of the two Donbas republics. The reasons for a war or invasion have been plentily debated and researched and has even been hinted at and predicted by policy experts including the american empire's very own Henry Kissinger. Read More
Hate is a complete product and business plan curbing India's Happiness
As the United Nations adopts a resolution proclaiming the 15th of March as the 'International Day to combat Islamophobia,' two separate events in India from the past week, beyond the election results, threaten religious minorities. In this issue of TypeRight, we look at a rather unsettling court judgement, a movie that might be having a 'triumph of the will' moment, and also, the country's slide in indices of democracy, employment, and happiness, all because Hate is a product and commodity that is being sold at mass scale. As another set of elections come to a close, including Uttar Pradesh, usually considered to be decisive in setting the terms for the upcoming general elections. Read More
As the United Nations adopts a resolution proclaiming the 15th of March as the 'International Day to combat Islamophobia,' two separate events in India from the past week, beyond the election results, threaten religious minorities. In this issue of TypeRight, we look at a rather unsettling court judgement, a movie that might be having a 'triumph of the will' moment, and also, the country's slide in indices of democracy, employment, and happiness, all because Hate is a product and commodity that is being sold at mass scale. As another set of elections come to a close, including Uttar Pradesh, usually considered to be decisive in setting the terms for the upcoming general elections. Read More
The Gig Economy in the Rising Heat, and the Country in Rising Hate
While our previous chapters dealt with rising hate in the country, in this chapter, we examine the state of India's gig economy- and begin with a seemingly unrelated topic, rising heat: Of course, it is the summer months, but there are definitely reasons the entire globe should be worried about, as many (wrongly) predicted a 'Don't Look Up' win at the Oscars, but got something else in return. This Twitter user from New Delhi had tweeted a couple days back about how she was 'unfairly' charged extra money for asking the AC to be turned on during a summer day ride. The photo got retweeted several times and even made it to news, as several portals covered it. Read More
While our previous chapters dealt with rising hate in the country, in this chapter, we examine the state of India's gig economy- and begin with a seemingly unrelated topic, rising heat: Of course, it is the summer months, but there are definitely reasons the entire globe should be worried about, as many (wrongly) predicted a 'Don't Look Up' win at the Oscars, but got something else in return. This Twitter user from New Delhi had tweeted a couple days back about how she was 'unfairly' charged extra money for asking the AC to be turned on during a summer day ride. The photo got retweeted several times and even made it to news, as several portals covered it. Read More
There will be inflection points in both your personal and professional lives and you need to be equally wedded to both. - Nandini S, Infosys
There is no bigger support system that you can find other than yourself. If you can get that in place, everyone else will feel your vibe and push you forward. - Deepika Nagasamy, Dindigul Thalappakatti Biriyani Read More
There is no bigger support system that you can find other than yourself. If you can get that in place, everyone else will feel your vibe and push you forward. - Deepika Nagasamy, Dindigul Thalappakatti Biriyani Read More
On International Women’s Day, beyond the long conversations on women’s rights, never ending debate on gender equality vs equity, testimonials of change or intellectual talks on feminism, we had the opportunity to interact with the women who are creating changes in the grassroute level where none of the urban lingo around gender bias has any stand. These women who are recognized as SoochnaPreneurs by Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) share about their journey which usually begins from a patriarchal bubble that evolves into a path spearheaded to change the conventional mindset to enable growth within their communities. Although the role of a SoochnaPreneur follows a similar model, the reasons to step into it have been different for these women. Read More
With the onset of the third wave we are crowdfunding digital devices so that underprivileged students are not deprived of education like they were during the first two waves of the pandemic.
Digital Empowerment Foundation aims to connect unreached and underserved communities of India to bring them out of digital darkness and empower them with information access through last mile connectivity, digital literacy and digital interventions. Established in 2002, with the motto to ‘Inform, Communicate and Empower,’ DEF aims to find sustainable ICT solutions to overcome information poverty in rural locations of India.
info@defindia.org | def@defindia.net
