We are Rani, Summi, and Mahjabi from Srinivaspuri Camp, New Delhi.
As Young Women Leaders who have fought against gender-based violence in our own homes, we want to support other girls and women to come out of these same situations.
Education is one way out. But few women in our communities actually finish school, leave alone go to college and get well-paying jobs. We want to start giving girls access to basic tech skills that they can use for their education and also claim their right to a better future. And we want to start with 15 girls this year.
So we’re setting up a Community Tech Centre to empower other girls and women like us!
We've named our centre 'The Girls Community', and aim to engage 45 girls and young women over a period of one year.
2023's priority themes for International Women’s Day and the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women is Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality! And with the G20 Summit around the corner as well, concrete solutions to achieve gender equality are on everyone’s minds.
Have you ever wondered what causes the gender divide in the first place?
The lockdowns showed us how crucial digital access was. But when COVID-19 first hit, only 33% of women in urban India and 28% in rural India even had access to the internet (IAMAI). Today, three years after COVID pushed India towards going digital, not much has changed.
In a society that systematically deprives girls and women their right to a life of dignity, to safety within their own homes and schools, to good healthcare, with no access to basic education and to technology tools, how can we hope to bridge the gap?
The root of the problem isn’t in technology; it’s in society.
What a girl studies, what a girl wears, where she goes, who she meets, what she does with her own body - everything is so strictly controlled by society. Stereotypes, norms, and gender-based violence at home, school, and every sphere of life is what holds every girl back from living a life of dignity.
We at FAT believe this cycle can be broken only when the survivors of all forms of gender-based violence collectivise and fight for their rights.
So, who will spark the change?
Joining FAT as participants Rani, Summi, and Mahjabi were adolscents, they received the support they needed to challenge the status quo. They started with free computer classes at our Tech Centre, and alongside that gained knowledge and understanding about gender, caste, religion, feminism, and intersectional issues. It was here that they first developed a passion for movement building.
Now, as young women, armed with that knowledge, they are starting their own Collectives.
Since 2022, they have been training to open a Tech Centre of their own so they can enable more and more girls and young women in their community! And we need your help.
All funds raised will be used to support Summi and other young women leaders in New Delhi, Pune, Buxar, Patna, and Giridih to set up their new spaces and start building agency of adolescent girls from their communities using technology access and STEM education.
More specifically, the donation you make will be used for the following purposes :
- To purchase assets like computers, cameras, software, furniture, power backup, etc. for the new spaces being setup by the YWLs
- To pay for operating costs of each space (example rent, utilities, wifi, etc)
- To pay a modest stipend to the YWLs running these new spaces
- To conduct Training of Trainers for there YWLs running these new spaces
- To hold community meetings and mobilisation drives within local communities to promote the new spaces and enrol girls in the programs.
About the Program: FAT’s Collectivisation Initiative
Under our recently launched Collectivisation Initiative Program, 45 young women leaders, each of them graduates of our two core programs (Young Women’s Leadership Program and the Girls in STEM Program) are receiving training and mentoring from FAT. They will form our first 15 feminist Collectives in the four states where we currently operate - Delhi, Pune, Jharkhand, and Bihar.
While FAT transitions to a fully young women-led organisation, these Collectives will take the reins of running the FAT programs in their communities at the end of a three-year period. They will be responsible for implementing FAT’s programs at the community-level in the places where they live.
Every Young Woman Leader who successfully completes our programs will be supported to start their own Collectives, receiving training from the Secretariat (FAT’s Champions, Coaches, and Counsellors).
At the end of a 10-year period, we see the experienced Collectives becoming independent enterprises with their own sustainability plans. This process is envisioned to support continuous leadership and livelihood solutions for girls and young women from marginalised communities while also facilitating a continuous growth of women led social enterprises.
We are raising INR 6,00,000 for Summi, Mahjabi, and Rani’s Tech Centre. This will cover their training and equipment costs, and everything they’ll need to smoothly run their Collective.
Will you join the three Leaders in empowering a generation of young Indian women who will bridge the digital divide?
Ways to Support Young Women Leaders:
- Make a contribution to our fundraiser on Give.do today! Choose from a number of easy payment options like UPI, debit card, and more, and in a few clicks you can enable our girls and women to reclaim their rights and access to tech. Remember, no amount is too small.
- We are in need of in-kind donations as well, like desktops, laptops, inverters, furniture, office supplies, and more. Reach out to us at projects@fat-net.org to know more.
- Share the link to our fundraiser in your social networks and help us spread the word!