Gender & ICT Award 2005 infolady prize
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Pallitathya Help-Line (a Call Center for the Poor and Under-privileged) project of D.Net won the first prize of the Gender and ICT Awards for 2005. The Award was announced during Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum held on 27-30 October 2005 in Bangkok , Thailand . The sponsors of the Award are the Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) and Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP). The award was formally handed over during World Summit on the Information Society 2005 held in Tunisia. Dr. Ananya Raihan, Executive Director, D.Net received the ward on behalf of the organization.
The Help-Line deployed women in the community as "Mobile Operator Ladies" who move from door-to-door to enable other women ---mostly housewives--- to ask questions related to livelihood, agriculture, health, and legal rights via a mobile phone, while Help-Desk operators respond to the women's queries with the use of a database-driven software application and the internet. To expand the information database, resource persons from government, non-government organisations, health groups and human rights organisations partnered with D.Net to provide a steady stream of responses to frequently asked questions. With women's economic empowerment as its centrepiece, the Pallitathya Help-Line Centre directly addressed the community's information needs on health, education, livelihood, employment and agriculture, while keeping the beneficiaries' anonymity intact. As mobile operator ladies, women were consciously given a crucial role as "infomediaries," increasing their self-worth, their potential to earn, and their knowledge about various issues. Women help-desk operators also enhanced their knowledge of issues and considerably improved their communication skills. Women who availed of the Help-Line service professed a higher self-assessment and realisation of their potential and worth in society, increased incomes, and increased authority over spending decisions.
Dr Ananya Raihan, Executive Director of D. Net said in describing his organisation's reaction to the award, " I saw the light of inspiration in their eyes. He added, "We would like to go a long way. At this early stage this recognition will facilitate us to work more and achieve the ultimate target".
For its efforts, D.Net's Pallitathya Help-Line Center will received a cash prize of US$8,000.
D.Net has been continuing the help-line with support from IDRC and Manusher Jonno Foundation. From March, 2009 the Help-Line will be expnaded under its new venture
Credit webmedia
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Pallitathya Help-Line (a Call Center for the Poor and Under-privileged) project of D.Net won the first prize of the Gender and ICT Awards for 2005. The Award was announced during Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) Forum held on 27-30 October 2005 in Bangkok , Thailand . The sponsors of the Award are the Association for Progressive Communications Women's Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP) and Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP). The award was formally handed over during World Summit on the Information Society 2005 held in Tunisia. Dr. Ananya Raihan, Executive Director, D.Net received the ward on behalf of the organization.
The Help-Line deployed women in the community as "Mobile Operator Ladies" who move from door-to-door to enable other women ---mostly housewives--- to ask questions related to livelihood, agriculture, health, and legal rights via a mobile phone, while Help-Desk operators respond to the women's queries with the use of a database-driven software application and the internet. To expand the information database, resource persons from government, non-government organisations, health groups and human rights organisations partnered with D.Net to provide a steady stream of responses to frequently asked questions. With women's economic empowerment as its centrepiece, the Pallitathya Help-Line Centre directly addressed the community's information needs on health, education, livelihood, employment and agriculture, while keeping the beneficiaries' anonymity intact. As mobile operator ladies, women were consciously given a crucial role as "infomediaries," increasing their self-worth, their potential to earn, and their knowledge about various issues. Women help-desk operators also enhanced their knowledge of issues and considerably improved their communication skills. Women who availed of the Help-Line service professed a higher self-assessment and realisation of their potential and worth in society, increased incomes, and increased authority over spending decisions.
Dr Ananya Raihan, Executive Director of D. Net said in describing his organisation's reaction to the award, " I saw the light of inspiration in their eyes. He added, "We would like to go a long way. At this early stage this recognition will facilitate us to work more and achieve the ultimate target".
For its efforts, D.Net's Pallitathya Help-Line Center will received a cash prize of US$8,000.
D.Net has been continuing the help-line with support from IDRC and Manusher Jonno Foundation. From March, 2009 the Help-Line will be expnaded under its new venture
Credit webmedia
