The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Intel Foundation’s fillip to women’s education

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Intel Foundation’s fillip to women’s education

Meera Srinivasan

It will work with a New Delhi-based NGO to close digital divide

Community information resource centres will be set up in Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh
They will focus on developing skills and learning abilities among women and children

CHENNAI: The Intel Foundation on Monday announced a donation of $60,000 (Rs.25 lakh) towards women’s education and empowerment.

The sum, being granted to mark the 60th year of independence, will fund a project which Intel will execute in partnership with the Digital Empowerment Foundation, a New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation, which is working towards bridging the “digital divide” in India.

Frank Jones, president of Intel India, told The Hindu on phone that three Community Information Resource Centres would be set up near Dhanaulti (Uttarakhand), Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Kuppam (Andhra Pradesh). “These centres will facilitate women’s education and empowerment. They will be provided soft skills training, and guidance in various aspects such as getting a commercial concern going.”

The fund will be used over two years and, depending on future needs, Intel may provide more.

The centres will focus on developing skills and learning abilities among women and children by training them in English language, computer literacy and subject-based learning with digital tools. “By focussing on the woman of a house, we are equipping an entire family,” Mr. Jones said. Computer-awareness at the grass roots, he said, would reflect in the overall development. Intel also proposes to organise the ‘Asia academic forum’ this October to showcase research undertaken in universities and grassroots organisations of different countries.

Information poverty

When contacted, Osama Manzar, Founder Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation, said the project would address the high “information poverty” that ailed India. “It is not enough if we give computers to villagers. We need to see what impact information, communication and technology have in terms of job creation for rural youth, eradication of poverty and promotion of entrepreneurship.”

Speaking on how Intel and the Digital Empowerment Foundation intended to take the project forward, Mr. Manzar said they would work in three key areas: providing education to children, empowering women with access to information and conversion of this knowledge into products and services. “The biggest barrier is not the absence of technology but the content available. There is no relevant information for the poor man,” he said.

The NGO also proposes to develop local area portals, the first of which will be launched this September. “We are working on a website on Dausa [Rajasthan]. Every village and Parliamentary and Assembly constituency should have a website.”

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