Digital Empowerment Foundation

New Delhi, Delhi, 110016 India

Mission Statement

To empower marginalised communities in information dark regions to access, consume and produce information online using digital interventions and ICT tools.

About This Cause

Established in 2002, Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) has been proactively working in rural and urban spaces to empower communities with ICT tools and digital interventions. The organization envisions the creation of information empowered, equitable communities by providing digital access to information, knowledge and online services. Providing wireless connectivity in remote areas, creating digital classrooms in villages, training and building capacity of youth has been some of the key areas of work. DEF’s main focus is to relate technology to the masses especially on how technology can empower women, youth, differently abled and elderly in digital agricultural literacy, media literacy, digital upskilling, digital women literacy, literacy to access one’s biometrics etc. The notion is based on how does digital literacy in different fields become a bare necessity for humankind. Over the last 18 years, the organization has been actively engaged in digitally empowering local communities through its 1000 Community Information Resource Centres located across 24 states and 130 districts in rural, tribal, marginalized, and unreached areas. Under its Education wing, DEF has directly and indirectly made 5.1 million artisans, youth, differently abled people, women, and elderly digitally literate, developed offline and online curriculum on functional literacy, media literacy, financial literacy with emphasis on application-based tools on local governance, agriculture, livelihood, and information etc. As the second wave of COVID 19 hits the Indian cities, less visible ones have started emerging in the rural and remote villages. This time, rural India is also experiencing a rise in numbers, i.e., assumed to take a turn of the catastrophe of unimaginable scale if ignored. These people are fighting for air, food and essentials every day. This year, we are again standing strong with COVID 19 Digital Emergency Relief Programme 2.0. We aim to provide relief and covid prevention necessities (pulse oximeters, ration, masks, sanitisers and essential supplies like sanitary pads, soaps) to 1000 Frontline Health Workers and 1 million households present across 1000 rural villages, and towns across India. We need your support so that our 10,000+ COVID Soochnapreneurs can supply the relief effectively. So far, our COVID Soochnapreneurs are helping in mitigating rumours, fake news, misinformation /disinformation on COVID-19, COVID 19 Appropriate Behaviours, Health & Nutrition and vaccination, and creating awareness, knowledge & understanding of people on COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, Vaccine hesitancy and eagerness and sensitive behaviour through digital mediums like WhatsApp, Facebook. We have turned our Digital Information Centres as “Vaccination Hubs”. In collaboration with the State Governments, our COVID Information Vans are helping people to get local aid resources as quickly as possible. Last year, we provided emergency relief (food, masks, sanitizers, delivery of entitlement and digital services) to 2.3 million people and 115,000 migrant workers across 650 locations through the COVID-19 Digital Emergency Relief Programme.

Digital Empowerment Foundation
House No. 44, 2Nd Floor & 3Rd Floor Kalu Sarai, Beside Narayana Iit Academy
New Delhi, Delhi 110016
India
Phone 9810042862
Twitter @DEFindia
Unique Identifier AAATD8195K