FADiDiW

Because girls/young/women are victims of deprivation of rights. Because girls/young/women are those who are the most impacted by poverty. Because girls/young/women have to be respected on equal terms with men at home, at workplace and in general society. Because girls/young/women are determined, creative and resourceful. We all have to give them keys to be included.

Nowadays, ICT brings opportunities and capacities to anyone to be informed, trained, communicate, learn and develop oneself. People who can't have access to ICT are even more excluded. Girls/Young/Women are the most affected by digital divide.

Our solution is divided in 3 activities: computer training for unemployed young/women, financial-literacy training for women entrepreneurs and a database development. This project aims to fight against digital divide affecting girls/young/women in order to mitigate these inequalities and give them a chance to be self-sufficient and fulfilled. It seeks to build capacity among them and strengthen their inclusion.

In Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur Districts nearby Chennai, the overall economic status and the families' income are very low (less than 1$). This is insufficient to meet their basic needs like food, shelter, medicine and education. The illiteracy rate is very high (60% to 65%) and this is linked with poverty, disadvantage and exclusion.

Poverty also create digital exclusion. ICT create advantages (opportunities, access to unlimited knowledge, development of network...) which become necessary to keep up with the times. They are becoming public utilities needing a widespread access like electricity, education or water. Hence, digital divide is a kind of exclusion for those who can’t have access to ICT and a vicious circle: digital divide cause poverty.

In this part of India, like many others, girls/young/women are not allowed to move out because of their cultural set up. Girls/Young/Women are treated as second class citizen, even among their own family. Acts like sexual assaults, unequal access to work and education, deprivation of rights… are frequent and they can't raise their voices.

Because of poverty and deprivation of rights, most of woman are unemployed, abused and/or exploited. They are dependants of their husband and not allowed to act with their free will. 

Our solution is divided in 3 activities: computer training for unemployed young/women, financial-literacy training for women entrepreneurs and a database development.

During computer training, we will provide courses about:

• word-processing
• doing an Internet research
• managing a mailbox
• managing a professional social network
• accessing and using to different e-training like MOOCs.

This activity aims to give young/women keys to look for a first/new job or to create their own business. It seeks to give them access to different opportunities through computer skills development, access to multiple e-courses and their network expansion.

The second activity is to provide financial-literacy training for women entrepreneurs through the using of software like spreadsheet. It aims to help women to manage their budget, expenses and incomes in order to bring sustainability and efficiency to their project/current business. It will deals about financial management (payment schedule, investment, taxes or salaries) to improve the financial health of women’s activity.

The last activity is focus on the establishment of a database (in keeping with data protection rules) of women we work with. Our NGO will realize a research survey (studies, skills, occupation ...) which will be used to support women to take part from miscellaneous organizations to work with.

Beneficiaries are young/women who are subjects to violations of their rights at work, at home or in general society. This is also women who live in a poor environment and thence lack access to education, sanitation and health infrastructures. They are living in Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District, which are rural areas in which we are working for more than 30 years.

They will benefit from these different activities which will bring them, self-reliance, improve their quality of life and develop their leadership skills to empower them. It also seeks to reduce the digital divide. In a longer-term, this program will allow communities development, women’s empowerment and will prevent gender inequalities.

Young/Women are fully involved in our work. They can train others by using their own skills: they are invited to share their experiences and knowledge with other women and to propose alternatives/solutions. In fact, they are in the best position to drive our programs based on their experience and the fact that they can relay information and ideas to their communities. They are encouraged to take part in decisions, within their families, within their community and within our activities, to make them lead change.

Giving computer training, financial literacy courses on spreadsheet and creating a database of girls/young/women, will develop their skills. That will build their capacity and ensure them to have digital abilities for a new/first job which will give them self-sufficiency and fulfillment. That is why it is linked with the selected dimension. Moreover, informal training will be developed by girls/young/women themselves, who will share their knowledge with their communities. However, it is also linked with the others because it will:

• strengthen digital literacy competencies to give them more employment chance
• reaching new knowledge by following e-learning
• promote education for everyone

In a technological manner, we strive to fight against digital divide by giving computer practice for unemployed women or young women finishing school for miscellaneous reasons. In this way, women can develop more IT skills and thus tackle social isolation or loss of autonomy. This solution is focused on the using of the ICT for girls/young/women excluding from this system. In a social manner, we seek to uphold Women's Rights with creativity and inclusion of all of the members. A lot of participatory discussions are put in place to make women lead their own social change. Effects of its activities seem to be sustainable because it brings improvement of life condition of women but also their family by their self-sufficiency. We work to uphold Women's Rights because women request it. They participate actively in its activities and drive change in their community. All capacity-building activities for women contribute to maintain their social and economic sustainability. Thus, these activities can be scaled up for the following reasons:

• Interest and active implication of each partner voluntarily
• Participation of women, for a relevant and sustainable response to their own issues.

A few organisations are working on this side, but needs are increasingly important and increasingly requested, that makes our project zeitgeist.

Computer, audio-visual, multimedia, Internet and telecommunications technologies enable users to communicate, access information sources, store, manipulate, produce and transmit information in a faster way. These technologies allow the transfer of information on a larger scale: interactions with people from another place are made easier, information widespread more quickly than before and is more accessible wherever. MOOCs, webinars and being able to interact in real time in debates or forums bring a new way of learning, training and accessing to knowledge.

Our solution will deals with the practicality of this technology (not its theoretical aspect) which is unequal in the world. In India, access to ICT has grown quickly this last 10 years, but stay unequal geographically (geographical digital divide) and individually (due to age, gender, scholarship or level income). Rural areas are still under covered compared to the cities and women often excluded from it due to reasons mentioned previously. In another way, inequalities appear also from use and apprehension of ICT, once the access barrier is overcome. The development of ICT uses, such as the Internet, raises the question of the "digital skills" of users to fully appropriate the content offered by ICT and their ability to develop them through their online activities. Indeed, “technical access” to ICT does not automatically mean their effective use and even less their autonomous and efficient use (“social access”). Assimilation of ICT and their content require many resources of a material, mental, social and cultural nature.

Digital technologies bring many advantages have facilitated the advancement of our societies. Be on the side-lines of these technological advances is, nowadays, a precondition to be integrated socially and economically in a development society. Not be “connected” could lead to losing opportunities to be active in an “information and knowledge society”. The expansion of social networks and services based on user-generated content changes social relationships for hundreds of millions of people through new ways of communication.

People who have access to ICT, can benefit from a better and unlimited information and all other advantaged related to it. However, people who can’t be connected collect less rich information and haven’t positive impacts associated to ICT. Connected people are thus included in various networks (relationship, knowledge and learning), whereas those who can’t be connected risk to be excluded from these.

This project main objective is to fight against digital divide affecting women from rural area in order to mitigate inequalities resulting from it. These inequalities are manifested by differences in the level of access to employment for those who haven’t “digital skills”, difficulties in integrating into development socially and economically or even find it increasingly difficult to access information.

To be specific, this project seeks to build capacity among women and strengthen their inclusion in the development society of Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District. Its work is focused on the recovery of three main preconditions. The first one is to strengthen women’s digital skills, then it is to build their capacity regarding ICT to finally ensure them autonomy. 

Our 3 activities (computer training, financial literacy training and database development) are developed to achieve this and bring social change in these areas, especially with regard to the place of women in society. Indeed, as stated above, women are the most vulnerable people regarding ICT and thus are the most affecting inequalities resulting from “not being connected” and being excluding from the "social access". 

Young/Women will be fully involved in our work to make our activities relevant and effective to achieve our objective. They will be encouraged to take part in decisions within these activities, to make them lead change and ensure its sustainability. 

We will rely on specific, measurable, acceptable, realistic and timed indicators, which are listed below, to evaluate the progress of this program. That will allow us to be assured that digital divide affecting women from Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District is on the way to be reduce.

A hundred woman currently benefit from computer training. We seek to scale up this project by giving computer training (8 young/women by training) twice a month next year (192 young/women for the whole year), then weekly (384 young/women per year).

By this project, we will add a technological approach to financial literacy training already implement by our NGO for each new young/woman entrepreneur (approximately 150 next year and 200 the following years according to previous years).

Finally the data base will be created to reference every women we work with, or around 18 000 women.

The overall objective is to reduce digital divide in rural areas (Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District), especially affecting women. It is to give keys for unemployed women to improve their chance to be included in the socioeconomic development by fighting against social isolation through the using of ICT. It is also to ensure sustainability and self-sufficiency of women who have their own business. Specifically, we seek to build capacity among women and strengthen their inclusion in the socioeconomic development of Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District. To achieve these objectives, we will be focused on the following results:

• Each new woman entrepreneur is trained to financial literacy the using of software like spreadsheet : 75% next year – 100% within five years
• Women entrepreneurs continue their activity the following year: 80% next year – 95% within five years
• Women entrepreneurs are up to date in their microcredit repayment: 75% next year – 85% within five years
• Computer training are organized regularly: twice a month next year – weekly within five years
• 75% of women trained for digital skills development is working the following year
• The overall sentiment of isolation of women trained is reduce: 50% next year – 70% within five years
• Women we work with are identified in our database: 60% next year – 100% within five years

First, political hindrance is the major cause which can complicate our work. Those who have power to govern have power that we can't overcome if they decided to change the current situation (economic, political, social and security). The maintaining of this situation is vector of stability, but if there is some change, it can influence our work (accessibility of women’s areas, violence, deterioration of the economic situation of families…).

Secondly, a high number of beneficiaries or the uncertainty of estimating the number of girls/young/women invested in the program could call into question the impact of the project. We estimate that 600 members by year will be invested in computer training and financial literacy courses. The data base will reference the whole number of women we work with. If the needs are poorly expressed, then the financial, technical and human resources made available will not be sufficient to ensure that the main objective of the project is achieved. Moreover, a disengagement on the part of donors would jeopardize the sustainability of the project.

Finally, this program seeks to give keys to girls/young/women to use ICT. It aims to improve their "digital skills", but not to give them a “technical access” to ICT. Without this technical access, the global impact of our project can’t be reached. That could jeopardize the results achievement.

First, our NGO has good relationship and is supported by local authorities. We are working in this area for 30 years so we are recognized by the community we work with and local government. Thus, if there is some situation change, we will be able to continue our work thanks to our recognition and the fact that people know about our impartiality and no political partisanship.

Secondly, regarding the estimated number of beneficiaries, their inclusion in our database will make it possible to better identify the girls/young/women concerned (women we already work with and girl/young form their communities who want to participate in our program) and to establish a forecast for the following year. The inclusion of a specific clause in the financing contract mentioning the possibility of a variation of more or less 10 % of the estimated amount would make it possible to revise the financing in order to tackle the lack of resources.

Finally, nowadays, a few numbers of household in Indian rural areas own a computer. To give them a “technical access” to ITC, we will allow them to use computers in our office in Mangadu. We will also develop partnership with cybercafé in different places closer to their living place. After being trained, young/women will be able to use computer facilities with software or Internet to find a new/first job or manage their activities.

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Our organization is composed of 15 staff (11 women and 4 men), 7 women board members and 25 volunteers. For the solution, 1 trainer will work full time. She/He will be will be under the responsibility of our project coordinator. We will work in partnership with consultants and student from IT schools. 

For 30 years, we implement activities for women's leadership and empowerment in Kanchipuram District and Thiruvallur District. Thanks to our long experience, the number of members our NGO work with (approximately 19 000 women) and its recognition, we think WEEDS has the capacity to implement this initiative. We have experienced changing and vibrant situations which could establish our organization as an instrument for social change. We are aware about needs and women drive our work, which makes our action relevant, legitimate and recognized by a large number of people. Indeed, a lot of participatory discussions are put in place. We are working with the participation of women we work with as mentioned above to have a relevant and significant impact to uphold Women's Rights. These activities aim to empower them and are implemented in rural area where there is the most demand. By this new project, we seek to have impact among more women or future women in need, to bring them resiliency and self-sufficiency.

We have some partnerships with banks which subsidize microcredits and fund some SHGs’ activities. Sometimes we work in collaboration:

• With students from Madras School of Social Work: awareness programs / street play / training (English courses)
• With students from some research colleges: research / analysis (ex: impacts of SHGs in the socioeconomic development of families)
• With other local NGOs: skills transfer / knowledge sharing / network building
• With local authorities: participatory discussion / employment
• With companies: awareness against sexual harassment at workplace

Some other NGO are fighting, in the same area of us, for the respect of Women’s Rights. WEEDS uses its complementarity to work together in case one of them is in need. The NGO is sharing its knowledge and skills to have a global impact in the society and make some social change. WEEDS believes that work in synergy is the better way for its program’s efficiency.

Specifically for this project, we will develop partnership with IT schools and cybercafé. Students will participate to train young/women to the using of computer and its software. Cybercafé will let women have access to computer after their training. 

We will provide computer training, financial literacy courses and develop a data base for our beneficiaries who are:

• Young women finishing their scholarship and thus looking for a first job
• Young/Women entrepreneurs
• Young/Women unemployed and/or who never went to schools

They will directly benefit from these activities and will be included in our decision process. We will use channels like word of mouth inside communities, meeting with our members, and canvassing from our coordinators to contact young/women in need. Our partnerships (IT schools, IT engineer consultants, local authorities, cybercafé) will be key to the success of the project. They will be our key resources to provide our activities sustainably: thanks to them, professionals will train beneficiaries, and they will be able to have access to computer after being trained. Our office is also a key resource: young/women are welcomed to seek advice, have access to computer, or being trained again.

Thus, our value proposition is to improve computer skills for young/women to get a job easier, give financial management competences through software to make entrepreneurs business sustainable and reference women’s skills in a database to support them to get a new/first job. Our performance and social utility indicators will be:

• Young/Women’s skills development and employment
• Digital divide reduction
• Capacity building among young/women and their inclusion

To achieve this, our costs (trainer salary, vehicle and conveyance, consultant fees, indirect administrative cost as rent, electricity, materials and maintenance) will be fund thanks to grants, prizes, our own funds and our partnership.

To achieve a financial sustainability, our model is based on long-term partnerships with service companies and funders. Service companies like IT schools and cybercafé will allow us to have professionals to train young/women, give them real skills and allow them to have access to computing equipment even when training will be completed. Most schools in India develop social program for their students: realizing a partnership with an IT one would thus be a win-win situation. As well as partnership with cybercafés, whose activities are becoming less and less active. We will provide them customers, who will benefit from an attractively price thanks to our partnership. Thus, consultant fees and materials will be funded.

These partnerships will be managed by our trainer, who will be in charge of this program. She/He will be paid thanks to our own funds. They are coming from our main activity, which is supporting Self-Help Groups and allowing them to have access to microcredit. Also, it will be possible thanks to sustainable funders. Our own fund (40%) and sustainable grants (60%) will allow us to manage this program safely by funding trainer salary, vehicle and conveyance, and indirect administrative cost (rent, electricity or administrative salary for example).

Prizes like the SOLVE one, will let us start this program securely, the time to launch it and find some sustainable funders and partners.

We already approached one foundation to fund a part of this project. For now, we don't have any feedback on our application. So, we are applying to Solve's 2020 Global Challenges, especially "Learning for Girls&Women" because we believe that this project matches Solve's Challenges values. Our project is in continuity with our current actions which are to uphold Women's Rights and also concerns a lot of your thematic area. It aims to improve young/women's digital skills by giving them learning which should result in employment or their business sustainability and thus self-sufficiency of young/women. This is also give them some keys to increase their self-confidence. This project also concerns defence of Women's Rights, through the access to training or courses and fights against women's exclusion from the society. In the actual context of India, this project strives for more gender equity and social justice within education, workplace and in general society.

Without Solve's 2020 Global Challenges Prize, we will not be able to immediately go through with this project. Indeed, we don't have enough funds to launch it for now. Your prize will let us start our project upon receipt of your funds, without waiting for a positive answer of grant applied to funders.

We are an NGO working to uphold Women's Rights, so we don't have enough digital competencies to train young/women on computer practices and software using. Thus, we need IT professionals who can share their knowledge with beneficiaries. Moreover, our own funds are not sufficient to fund the entire programs so we also need financial support and partnerships.

Partners will be IT schools from Chennai, which will allow young/women to use their equipment during learning sessions. Students from IT schools will teach young/women how to use a computer and how to use software useful to manage an activity. Also, like mentioned previously, we will develop partnership with cybercafés. It will give women a larger access to digital equipment, and thus give them more chance to improve their knowledge, find a new/first job, manage their activity...

We could also think about creating a partnership with MIT to give women access to MIT's MOOCs and thus continue to be trained on different topics.

We are qualified for the Innovation for Women Prize funded by the Vodafone Americas Foundation because our project aims to advance Women's Rights through access and use of ICT. It seeks to give women keys to improve their knowledge, develop IT skills and thus reduce digital divide affecting rural women in India. Thanks to this project, young/women will improve their quality of life through the employment or a business creation, in a sustainable way. Women's place in society will gain more recognition nearby our working areas, they will strengthen their self-sufficiency and thus increase their fulfillment. They will be able de raise their voice with more self-confidence. Consequently, women will be more including in this developing society.

This Prize will be used to get more IT materials (computers, printer, software ...) and make them available to women in more places. We could be able to develop our own cybercafé, with trainers available full time in each place, to support more young/women. More young/women will thus benefit from this, and they will be followed longer.

We are also qualified for The GM Prize on Learning for Girls and Women because our project aims to give learning opportunities for the world's most vulnerable girls and women. As developed previously, girls and women in India are the most vulnerable having regard to education, access to employment, involvement within society and government decisions ... Their rights are violated and thus, young/women marginalized and excluded.

Our project aims to advance Women's Rights through access and use of ICT. It seeks to give them training about computer practice and financial literacy courses on spreadsheet to improve their knowledge, develop IT skills and thus reduce digital divide affecting rural women in India. Thanks to this project, young/women will improve their quality of life through the employment or a business creation. Women's place in society will gain more recognition nearby our working areas, they will strengthen their self-sufficiency and thus increase their fulfillment. They will be able de raise their voice with more self-confidence. Consequently, women will be more including in this developing society.

 As for the previous Prize, this one could be used to get more IT materials (computers, printer, software ...) and make them available to women in more places. We could be able to develop our own cybercafé, with trainers available full time in each place, to support more young/women. More young/women will thus benefit from this, and they will be followed longer. We could add other training, depending on their specific needs, to expand young/women technological knowledge.

We are also qualified for the Gulbenkian Award for Adult Literacy because our project aims to give learning opportunities for the world's most vulnerable women. As developed previously, women in India are the most vulnerable having regard to education, access to employment, involvement within society and government decisions ... Their rights are violated and thus, women marginalized and excluded.

Our project aims to advance Women's Rights through access and use of ICT. It seeks to give them training about computer practice and financial literacy courses on spreadsheet to improve their knowledge, develop IT skills and thus reduce digital divide affecting rural women in India. Thanks to this project, women will improve their quality of life through the employment or a business creation. Women's place in society will gain more recognition nearby our working areas, they will strengthen their self-sufficiency and thus increase their fulfillment. They will be able de raise their voice with more self-confidence. Consequently, women will be more including in this developing society.

 As for previous Prizes, this one could be used to get more IT materials (computers, printer, software ...) and make them available to women in more places. We could be able to develop our own cybercafé, with trainers available full time in each place, to support more women. More women will thus benefit from this, and they will be followed longer. We could add other training, depending on their specific needs, to expand women technological knowledge.