Category – E-Learning (Specdial Mention) & Jurors Distictions
Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment (WAVE)
DESCRIPTION
Wave is a unique digital platform for young women from various socioeconomic backgrounds to communicate their ideas, exhibit their potential and voice their opinions on issues that matter through video blogs. The mission of WAVE is twofold: to encourage young women to articulate their views about subjects that matter to their communities, and to present these views to the world on an online forum, thereby bringing about a change in age-old attitudes.
One young woman from every state in India was selected for a 9-month mentorship program, and provided with video equipment, intensive training and monthly stipends for participating in the project. A key activity of this programme has been the mentorship in ICT skills provided to these women. Over the past year, they were trained to script, shoot, edit and upload videos online and made aware of free online tools such as Yousendit, Google docs, mpeg streamclip, Facebook etc.
EVALUATION
People-centred advocacy aims at influencing societal attitudes and sociopolitical processes that enable and empower the citizens to speak for themselves. In contrast to traditional approaches to advocacy that seek to effect policy change, participatory advocacy aims towards social transformation. Beginning in September 2009, WAVE established the first nationwide women videobloggers’ network, bringing a new ICT medium to the work of women’s empowerment. WAVE’s philosophy is that young women in India need be heard and encouraged to analyze the problems in their communities and then, if possible, go on to become leaders who provide effective solutions to these problems. These young women will also serve as ambassadors for their communities, which were previously almost invisible, engaging the outside world through the images communicated on the video blog. With its firstof- its-kind citizen journalism program, WAVE aims to share compelling videos that start conversations and go beyond boundaries to enable the exchange of novel solutions.
Original Title : Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment (WAVE)
Producer : Women Aloud Videoblogging for Empowerment
Location : Goa, INDIA
Media Format : Web/Internet
Language : English and Hindi
www : www.waveindia.org
e-Purjee
DESCRIPTION
Digital Cane Procurement System or e-Purjee, is a joint initiative oof Access to Information (A2I) Programme at the Bangladeshi Prime Minister’s Office and the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC). The project is expected to be benefit the sugarcane growers residing in the rural areas of
Bangladesh.
‘Purjee’ is a legal permit for the sugarcane growers given by the sugar mill, which help them to supply their crops and receive payment against it. Through this SMS-based service, the two hundred years old system of Purjee distribution is experiencing a technological renaissance. An instant SMS notification ensures to a grower that his Purjee has been issued and that he may start preparing his harvest to supply at the mills. In case of emergency, the notifying system is also very efficient, cost and time effective.
EVALUATION
Since the British era, the sugarcane growers in Bangladesh are issued a Purjee or a legal order which confirms that their sugarcanes will be bought by the sugar mill. The growers are given three days within which they need to deliver the crops to the mills. This process was flawed from the beginning and fraught with corrupt practices. The validity of the order started from the moment it was issued, but it could often take more than two days to reach the farmer it had been issued to. In such cases the farmers could not get the necessary time for preparing and reaching at the mills in time.
However, the new e-Purjee system has solved several of these problems. Text messages are sent from authorized mills to the listed growers’ mobile phones, notifying them about the Purjee and also other relevant information, like when to deliver the crops, the quantity of the crops and so forth.
Original Title : Digital Cane Procurement System (e-Purjee)
Producer : Bangladesh Sugar And Food
Industries Corporation (BSFIC)
Location : Dhaka, BANGLADESH
Media Format : Mobile Content
Language : Bengali
www : e-purjee.a2ipmo.info
Save The Baby Girl
DESCRIPTION
Launched by the District administration of Kolhapur, the Save the Baby Girl initiative is an attempt to tackle the malpractices of sex-determination and selective abortion. Despite many laws framed to deal with the issue, government agencies have been unable to keep in check the illegal abortions performed by medical practioners.
The solution offered by Save the Baby Girl campaign consists of a monitoring solution for medical centres having sonography machines. To ensure that no under reporting or false reporting takes place, a device called The Silent Observer is connected to the the sonography machine. This device captures the output stream from the equipment and the captured data can then sent to the authorities. Although true equality will come about only when there is a change in the collective psyche of the people, yet this project can also have a positive impact and help to restore gender balance in the society.
EVALUATION
Selective abortion has been in existence ever since gender-identification became possible through ultrasound technology. It is estimated that the birth of nearly 10 million girls may have been prevented by selective abortions in the past 20 years. The gender composition in India has worsened in last few decades. Demographically the sex ratio has increased from 927 females per 1000 males to 933 from the Census of 1991 to that of 2001, however, this ratio is alarmingly decreasing among children in the age group of 0-6. The child sex ratio in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra, is one of the worst in the state, i.e. 839, next to only Mumbai and Thane. The number of ultra-sonography centres here, in 2010, is 232. Save the Baby Girl project does not only overcome the shortcomings in enforcement of laws but also addresses issues like improper maintenance of records by sonography centers and strict monitoring on all centers.
Original Title : Save The Baby Girl
Producer : Collector Offce, Kolhapur
Location : Kolhapur, Maharashtra, INDIA
Media Format : Broadband/Online
Language : English
www : www.savethebabygirl.com