Recipient Institution:
One Village One Computer

Shaligram House, Station Road, Thane 4000601
INDIA

Tel/Fax: 91 22 25363122

Project Leader:
Anil Shaligram
anilshaligram@yahoo.com

Amount and Duration: US$ 9,000 / 12 months

Commencement Date:
1 December 2003

Abstract of Project
We perceive ICTs as a tool that will catalyse the 'power shift' from the 'haves' to the 'have-nots' and support the process of women's empowerment.

Our experience of 'women only' ICT Training Camps has demonstrated to us the need of creating 'safe- women only spaces' to encourage participation of women. We are therefore proposing the establishment of an ICT Seva Kendra (Service Centre) that will cater exclusively to women.

The proposed ICT Seva Kendra will conduct a baseline survey of the target constituency to identify their practical and strategic needs. It focus on leveraging ICTs like Internet, email, word processing, database management to redressing the problems faced by the self employed women, self help group members and elected women representatives of local self government bodies.

Women will be taught basic literacy skills using local language e literacy software. They will be taught to use ICT skills to generate and present content that addresses their practical and strategic needs. We will also explore the mechanisms of setting in process an e commerce net. We will collaborate with the local women's groups working on the issue of violence to set up the 'Violence Redressal Net' that will provide women access to credible, effective and speedy redressal services. We will collaborate with the local self-government institutions to offer e governance services at the Kendra.

These opportunities will also facilitate the creation of a 'safe space' for these women to come together, share, learn and support one another. Together, women will be provided opportunities to build skills to use the new media to challenge the stereotyping, objectification and neglect of women in mainstream media.

The women will transfer their skills to larger numbers in their villages by working with the elected women representatives to leverage existing schemes for women. It will also support the women to lobby with the government and stake a right to the proposed government community information centres.

The use of the Internet together with the capacity building processes will catalyse the process of mobilsation, organise women for collective action and lead to their empowerment. Thus the Centre will catalyse and support the building of several issue, group and region based ICT enabled women's social networks.