Uninor-Hand in Hand Citizen Centre Project
Description
• The Uninor Hand in Hand (HiH) Citizen Centre program aims to build sustainable entrepreneurial livelihoods for marginalized women in rural areas through access to information and communication technologies. • The Uninor HiH Citizen Centre program was selected to be showcased by Secretary Hillary Clinton during the GSMA’s mWomen initiative launch in Washington, D.C., on October 7, 2010. • This initiative was substantiated by a GSMA and Cherie Blair foundation report on Women and Mobile: A Global Opportunity, a study on mobile phone gender gap in developing countries • Initiative reaches over 22 lakh people in rural India • It enables marginalized women with basic education to catapult their earnings over 3 times to over 5,000 Rs. Per month • By breaking down the barriers to uptake of communication technologies amongst these women, this program aims to empower through access, a key pillar of Uninor’s Corporate Responsibility program. • The Citizen centres and entrepreneurs play a crucial role in bridging the digital divide as well as the gender gap in owning and using communication technologies in rural areas. Uninor has partnered with HiH, an International NGO to implement this initiative. • The innovation in the project lies in the fact that it combines the strength of a Self Help Group network by the NGO Hand in Hand and a company like Uninor to help rural women become more independent and actively contribute to their community.
What we deliver
Uninor Citizen Centres initiative is designed to reduce gender gap to access by: 1) Extensive training on ICT, connectivity and income generation means 2) Creating female entrepreneurs who can understand and interact with women 3) Microfinance to own a computer and printer and free handset as a retailer I Allows female entrepreneurs to deliver information communication technology training and support to other women in their communities. Other self help group women attached to these entrepreneurs feel encouraged to- • Own a mobile phone • Recharge and top up • Opt to run a centre as an enterprise These centres have brought Internet access to people in rural areas, addressing the communications needs of people who have previously been unconnected. Each centre is equipped with a computer, Internet connection and a small library with newspapers. Residents of rural areas can visit their local centres and register to vote, apply for a passport, sign petitions and access a wealth of information on the Web thereby empowering the attached communities to these Citizen Centers.
Whom we deliver
The initiative was launched for the benefit of marginalized women in rural areas of India by reducing gender gap in owning and using mobile telephony
Why is the project unique?
Some aspects that make the program unique: • Self Sustainable model – This program works on a self sustainable platform and does not have a donation model. The women entrepreneurs are empowered to scale up their business and does not require regular funding from outside, but works on its own with regular training, support, targeted products, schemes, services etc.; • Linked to core business – Caters to two fold needs of a successful CR program i.e. part of core business proposition hence sustainable and empowers community making them more self reliant. The initiative has a core link to our business as it helps build a rural penetration strategy that supports our business pillar on mass distribution. So by making these rural women our partners we are actually through them reaching out to a community we were not present in before. Since the initiative has a far reaching business impact, the program is highly sustainable and can be replicated across regions and even other countries with large number of rural population. • Breaking social taboos – – It targets social taboos and helps overcoming barriers like cell phone ownership by women and having to go up to male retailers to acquire a connection or to simply recharge. This is done by creating awareness, promoting positive role models, demonstrating economic gain and sealing social issues by having a female retailer who women can easily buy sims and recharge from; – The project works to bridge the digital divide by enabling more and more rural women to firstly own mobile phones and then equip them with technology (broadband etc) • Income generation for Community – While it helps generate income, it also creates good citizens by training them on Right to Information Act, Health, Safety, Security and Environment; • Integrated approach – Uninor is also working on developing Mobile-Value Added Service customized for these women entrepreneurs in remote parts of India. Through this integrated approach while we create special products/schemes which will enable these women to benefit socially and ear more it also helps us build our product portfolio by making them our channel of distribution. Once we are ready these services will be driven through these centres for adoption of services like rural finance, housing, agriculture and weather related advisory etc.
Contact
Divya Seth
Uninor, The Masterpiece, Plot No. 10, Golf Course Road, Sector 54, DLF Phase
Gurgaon, Haryana, India
122002
URL/Website – www.uninor.in
