Yug Rani, a housewife from Balia Union’s Rishipara area in Dhaka's Dhamrai Upazila, crafts a variety of bamboo baskets in different shapes.
Recently, she received training on how to conduct business through Facebook and other social media platforms.
Once overlooked, she now dreams of selling her baskets online, achieving financial independence, and leading a successful life.
"We no longer want to be marginalised. We want to march forward," said Yug Rani.
Plan International, Telenor, and Grameenphone have joined forces for a two-year project, "Digital Inclusion: Safe Digital Space for Girls and Youth," aiming to empower over 2.35 million marginalised women and youth, who often face socio-economic challenges, through training in digital literacy, skills, resilience, and safe online usage via mobile phones.
The initiative has begun to plant the seed of dreams for a safe and prosperous life in the minds of many marginalised people like Yug Rani.
Using digital skills in real-life situations
Women from marginalised groups, at least 30-40 on May 19, gathered in the Rishipara area of Balia Union to receive digital training under the project. They were seen discussing what they had learned and how they plan to apply these skills to improve their quality of life in the future.
Through the training, they learned various skills, including how to cook using YouTube tutorials, access online birth control resources, use mobile banking, call 16263 for health services, pay electricity bills online, call 999 for legal assistance, buy and sell products on social media platforms like Facebook, and respond to digital fraud cases.
Priyanka Rani, a participant of the group, shared her experience, saying, "I did not know how to use Facebook before. Now I have learned how to open a Facebook account and even conduct business using this platform."
Another participant, Rinki, learned how to get immediate help by calling various government emergency services.
She said, "We learned that 1098 is a child helpline and we can use it to report any kind of child abuse, including child marriage. Additionally, 999 is for any kind of emergency assistance including police, fire, and ambulance services, and we learned about it through the training.”
Mamata Rani, another attandee, said, “I now know what precautions should be taken while sending or receiving money through mobile financial services.”
Nearly 8,00,000 people already trained
Discussions with project organisers revealed that the training aims to increase digital inclusion for specially-abled children, climate change-affected populations, women-led households, street children, ethnic and religious minorities, tea plantation workers, the third gender, and individuals identified by the National Social Security Strategy (NSSS).
The project specifically focuses on women, as they have remained relatively behind in terms of economic empowerment and self-awareness. Considering this, the programme aims to help them improve their quality of life and achieve economic empowerment through digital literacy and the use of mobile phones.
Rasna Hasan, the head of Strategic Projects at Grameenphone, told The Business Post that this project was initiated to support marginalised groups in society and those separated from the mainstream.
Fifteen marginalised groups have been identified, and 28 districts across the country have been selected for implementation, considering their significance, she said.
She added that 80 per cent of the 2.35 million people targeted for training under this two-year project are women.
Plan International Bangladesh Director (Program Development and Learning) Jolly Nur Haque said that the main aim of this project is to empower women, especially the youth, to a level where they can protect themselves digitally and safeguard against online threats. Additionally, they will learn to play a positive role using online platforms and participate more effectively in Bangladesh's economy, she said.
“Approximately 8,00,000 people have already been trained through in-person sessions, community radio, listener clubs, and campaigns led by local youth leaders.
“Initially, there were numerous challenges, including preparation. Now, as the process has become much smoother, it will be possible to train the remaining participants within the stipulated time frame,” she added.
Boosting self-confidence
Meanwhile, on the same day, training was being held at another centre in Savar's Bank Town area. About 15-20 young people with speech and hearing impairments participated in the training.
Mamunur Rashid Ifti, a speech and hearing-impaired youth living in Savar’s Bank Town area, said that he was not very proficient with mobile phones before participating in the training under the “Digital Inclusion” project.
He said that his self-confidence grew significantly through the training.
"I can now capture photos using a mobile phone," Ifti said. "Sometimes I can express myself through these photographs. With further training in photography, I can even take it up as a profession. Additionally, creating and sharing tutorial content on sign language will help many develop a positive attitude towards people with challenges like mine."
"We aim to break barriers and achieve our goals," Ifti shared, echoing sentiments similar to those of Yug Rani.
Jahir Rayhan, co-founder of Youth for Change Bangladesh, said that they are partnering with Plan Bangladesh for this initiative. "We have already supported around 60,000 people through this project. Additionally, we have provided basic training to 20 individuals who are disabled or physically challenged. Our target is to extend this support to 1,000 more marginalised people," he added.
