SEWA Samvaad 2020: Bridging the Digital Divide for Women in the Informal Economy

SEWA has long recognised the positive role that technology can play to empower women in the informal economy. Through targeted initiatives as part of SEWA Programs including Digital Beti in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and Digital Sakhi in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, we have helped build women’s capacity to effectively use digital tools and digital platforms for 1 economic empowerment. As we work to connect our members with essential services and alternate livelihoods during the ongoing pandemic, we believe the need to advance women’s meaningful access to technology is urgent. In an effort to address the prevailing gender digital divide, particularly for women in the informal economy, as we move our efforts from enabling access to technology to technological empowerment itself, SEWA Bharat recently organised a webinar on August 11, 2020, in partnership with Sattva and Facebook. The webinar brought together SEWA Sisters from Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand accompanied by experts and practitioners from Sattva, Facebook, CSC Academy under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Digital Empowerment Foundation, Government e-Marketplace (GeM), International Innovation Corps., and L&T Financial Services.