I had always believed that access to the internet is the foremost basic requirement for the “Right to information” as the world is slowly transforming to become a complete digital world. With every piece of information required, be it for education, health, or politics being published to digital platforms slowly replacing the traditional method of the flow of information. Keeping this in mind, the Tech for Moms for Sindhupalchowk was implemented under the hood of Safer-I.
From the bustling capital city, Kathmandu, I along with my two other team members traveled for 2-3 hours to Patibhanjyang, Sindhupalchowk to implement our initiative. This place was where we were going to conduct the workshop, with the objective of enabling the participants to navigate the internet safely and securely. On the day we arrived, after the warm welcome from the teachers of Shree Thulo Thakani Secondary School, we kicked off the project with an internet safety and security session for the grade 9 students. On the following day, we started our main workshop that aligned with our initiative. We had 23 participants, of which 22 were female and 1 was male. The topics focused on were an introduction to the internet, google services, account creation, and Play Store. And on the third day, we covered other topics on content filtering, reporting, blocking, safe-link, and password security.
It was a wholesome experience, along with the workshop we came in contact with a lot of stories of women and their perceptions on the internet. One of many stories that stirred me was their dilemma and resistance to the tech devices, and how they are afraid of electronic devices. Will they also get into trouble if they use mobile devices? They had heard about cyber crimes, and scamming after accessing TikTok following its ban in Nepal. Additionally, lots of grandmas shared their stories and experiences on how they were deprived of education in childhood on the grounds of being just women, despite having a keen interest in navigating the digital world.
The workshop could have been much better if we could have smooth internet access. Since most of our activities are internet-based, we had trouble with its connectivity. So, we had to wait a long time to complete a single class activity.
Months after the execution of the project, it warms my heart whenever I recall my experience there, the kindness of the Amaa and other villagers women, for their hospitality and their gesture of gratitude by sharing millet bread and glint of awe in their eyes as we continued to work on the laptop. Their feelings of pride, gratitude, and hope, to see more females carrying laptops and working to be self-independent, encouraged me to continue on my tech journey as a female engineer. I am very grateful to everyone who accompanied me on this project and to the memories that would last forever.
–Blog by Pratibha Kulung, facilitator, Tech for Moms Sindhupalchowk 2023
