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Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | In commemoration of women’s month (March), ActionAid Uganda embarked on advancing women’s rights and gender equality through digital literacy.
While speaking at the community dialogue held in Bukedea on March 22nd, Shibah Namulindwa the field programme coordinator, of ActionAid Uganda Eastern region said that they embarked on this programme mainly because the most excluded groups in the world are women and that includes the digital space and access to technology.
“Regardless of the affirmative action that the government has done including women in economic spaces and access to education, there are still many challenges that are hindering the advancement of human rights and those challenges include poverty, access to opportunities and now we are bringing in the digitalization of economic transformation,” Namulindwa said.
Namulindwa added that digitalization is a free key force for economic and community transformation.
“With the advancement in technology and information, women must have access to these spaces, unfortunately, women seem to lack access but also usability and affordability,”
Namulindwa also said that this work they are doing is in line with this women’s day theme; DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality which comes in handy.
“It is a new area that many women are not appreciating in the rural areas. There are very few women who have access to a phone but also not just a phone, a smartphone with data,”
Rose Aboo the LC2 councillor of Kangole sub-county, Bukedea district says that women in that area embrace this innovation because women have been able to achieve more with phones.
“We can get information on many things that concern women and phones to ease communication,”
Aboo also says that with her phone, she can keep her money on mobile money and can pay school fees for her children with no hustle.
“I encourage every woman to at least get a phone because it is a necessity,” Aboo adds.
ActionAid aims to create spaces for women’s participation in these spaces because technology, information and innovation are very important in facilitating transformation and value addition. These spaces are used as access to information for some women in markets and also for networking with other women across all levels.
“We are creating awareness about this for women to know that these things exist and they should embrace technology to engage in the digital space”,
ActionAid is working with the local traditional leaders in rural areas and policymakers so that the formulated policies encourage the participation of women and girls in digital literacy, therefore bridging the knowledge gap between women and men. They are working together to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of being able to locate, use, organise and understand digital information.
