COMPUTER LITERACY CLASS FOR 30 INDIAN GIRLS

Dear friends,

Greetings from IDEA Foundation!

Our main objective of computer literacy program is to minimize the digital divide between haves and haves not. The pandemic made it all the more necessary as almost everyone is required to use online services in their routine. Empowering underprivileged people with digital skills of basic computer operation and online transactions has become the urgent need of the hour. We impart computer knowledge through NDLM (National Digital Literacy Mission) course and build the pillar of progressive nation.

Saira has recently completed advance computer course through IDEA Foundation. The sessions were held online.

Saira’s story:

Saira is 17 years old girl studying Science in 12^th class. Coming from a joint family, she is very hard working and active girl. Her father works as a watchman and her mother is a homemaker. There are five members in her family and they live in a single room on rent.

Saira got to know about the computer course offered by IDEA Foundation from one of the social workers employed by IDEA. She showed her interest in learning digital literacy. Initially Saira acquired beauty care training and then she began Computer Literacy course in January and completed it successfully in June. This course equips students with knowledge about computer, mobile, emails, You Tube channel and Facebook business page. It also enables students to do online transactions and use various websites for general knowledge, employment and education.

Saira believes in learning new things. Her family is very supportive. They encourage her to complete basic beauty care course. One thing that her instructor noticed particularly about her was that she was very punctual in online lectures. She attended all the online sessions regularly. Earlier, she used to go to cyber cafes to fill up online forms. She would stand in long queues for paying electricity bills and recharge her mobile phone. Many a times she had to seek help from others for small things. But after completing this course, she is able to handle all those transactions online without any hassle. Now she easily fills any online form and confidently pays all the bills online. She is very happy to have access to Google and other search engines to get updated information relating to her studies. She wants to do advance beauty care course and start her own beauty parlor.

Saira has opened mail accounts of her father and sister and she has taught them to use it on regular basis. She taught her older sister how to create a resume in word format and uploaded it on website. She also taught her how to find a job through online websites and prepare for job interviews. Saira also helps her neighbors in all these things. She shares her digital knowledge and the importance of digital literacy to her friends, relatives, and neighbors.

Saira is doing all these things from her mobile phone. Her family does not have money to buy a laptop. She goes to her neighbor’s house to use their laptop. Saira and many girls like her need your support to be self-sufficient in the real world with the help using technology in digital world. Please support our project so that many Sairas can bring out their potential.

Computer literacy is possible if an individual is provided with effective learning tool. In India, erratic power supply is a challenge in many semi-urban and rural communities. Financial constraint and lack of awareness are other factors limiting women’s access to digital world. There is a significant gap between men and women when it comes to operation of computer and use of internet. Thank you for filling this gap by providing generous support for this initiative.

Links:

• IDEA Foundation Pune

Dear Donors,

Grretings from IDEA Foundation!

As you know, one of the most important projects we have taken up in the recent past was starting our NDLM(National Digital Literacy Mission) centres in Pune, for underprivileged youth and women.

NDLM is an effort to complement government’s vision to transform one from each household as digitally literate. 

We have started our NDLM centres to complement government of India’s plan to make one person in the house digitally literate by 2020 , so that each household is ready to interact with the digital World through skills which are necessary to meet it’s ever increasing demands.

We have been successful in teaching thousands of beneficiaries skills required to manage online bank transactions, ticket booking and filling up college applications. But we never knew we will be completely dependent on these skills so fast. We are thankful to each one of you for supporting this project and trusting our ability to run these programs efficiently in marginalised communities. Today we are able to run our programs remotely because we have already laid a foundation and we could make many of them confident to use technology with ease.

Even our beneficiaries from other skilling programs were also encouraged to complete the NDLM program as an added skill and now they are making use of this knowledge.  We could easily switch to online coaching as soon as the lockdown was imposed. Now we have made it compulsory for all skill development course to  have computer training as a part of the curriculum.

Our Home chef students are getting orders online, they are reaching out to COVID patients in quarantine through online orders and door step deliveries ,our arts and craft students are selling their products through social media and even a lady is running a YouTube to teach cooking online.

One of our beneficiary from Arts and Crafts course Ms. Sheela says “ I am so fortunate to get computer training as a part of our art and craft course. Now I am confident to use my smart phone for selling my products without going out of my house during lock down. I am able to do all money transactions without fear. I am also able to use Youtube to learn new designs for jewelleries . I pay my children’s school fees online, I can send emails and use social media to market my products. I am thankful to IDEA foundation for their timely action and helping us to make use of the skills we have learned. My children are attending online classes and I am able to support them.”

Our NDLM centres are in city, but now we need to run massive training programs to make even our rural communities digitally literate as these people cannot be left out when everything is getting completely dependent on technology. When educational institutes switched to online platforms our underprivileged communities are once again challenged with no access to education. Most of them can’t even afford a smart phone for the family. To empower these communities we need to provide them smart phones before starting the training sessions. New challenges are many for us as an NGO working in marginalised communities with uneducated population, but with the support of generous people like you we will be able to overcome most of it.

Thank you so much for your support so far , please continue to support us and enable us to expand our reach to many more communities.