IndiaCSR News Network
Celebrates achievements of 20 inspirational women Sarpanches/Farmers for extraordinary work from West to East India Sets up 20 Digital Community Information Resource Centres enroute
KOLKATA: The Vodafone Foundation today announced the successful conclusion of the second edition of its ‘Red Rickshaw Revolution’, a unique campaign to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of ordinary women.
The ‘Red Rickshaw Revolution 2’ (RRR2), a digital journey, began on 28 November and traversed the length and breadth of villages across seven states from West to East. It started from Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and touched Alwar and Baran (Rajasthan), Mandvi (Gujarat), Raigarh (Chhattisgarh), Kolaras and Pohra (Madhya Pradesh), Keonjarh and Bhadrak (Odisha) to reach South 24 Parganas in West Bengal.
Jhuma Mondal, Sarpanch of Chowgheri village, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal and Chudamani Naik from Oriya GP village, Odisha were among the woman achievers acknowledged and appreciated for their commitment towards community development work, provision of civic amenities and propagating women empowerment in their villages.
Elaborating on the concept of RRR, Rohit Adya, Director, External Affairs, Vodafone India, said, “Vodafone Foundation started the Red Rickshaw Revolution initiative to recognize the amazing women in India who work selflessly for community development. This year it was a virtual campaign into India’s villages aimed to spread awareness, garner support and promote digital literacy to empower women. Empowering women has a strong multiplier and sustainable impact on overall social development. We have set up Digital Resource Centres in rural areas.
It is aligned to the objective of the Digital India programme. It acknowledges the accomplishments of women change makers and makes them ambassadors to propagate the use of technology for improving livelihood and enhance governance in their respective villages and community.”The Red Rickshaw Revolution 2 (RRR 2) replicated the spirit of RRR 1 in its vision of women empowerment. Through this journey the Vodafone Foundation educates and encourages women in rural India to become digitally literate As the Indian government mandates that 50% of all village heads or Sarpanches be women, and 80% of all farmers in India are women, the focus of RRR2 was women leaders/farmers.
The Vodafone Foundation also set up physical ‘Digital Community Information Resource Centres’ (dCIRCs) near each of the locations visited during the journey. Equipped with internet connectivity, 5 state-of-the-art android tablets and a printer, the centres will facilitate access to information about the various beneficial schemes offered by the government, and enable connectivity with other developmental programmes.
The centre will also impart computer literacy and training to women and disseminate information on governance and agriculture.Osama Manzar, Founder and Director, Digital Empowerment Foundation, said: “We want to make the establishment of digitally enabled Community Information Resource Centres a movement for each and every rural area which are disconnected. are going to be 21st century’s most basic infrastructure that we need for the masses living in remote areas of India and we all need to work together to make this happen”The ‘Red Rickshaw Revolution’ is a collaborative work of key partners who have provided active support towards this cause. The Vodafone Foundation would like to wish all the identified empowered women leaders /farmers success in their unique projects.
