Daily Times

As scores of women took to the streets across Pakistan on Friday to mark International Women’s Day, reclaiming their shrinking space in this part of the world, Aqsa Munir turned to a popular social media site, urging women to be digitally literate and be the boss of their own lives.

The 20-year-old woman from Bahawalpur, Aqsa, says that digital literacy has changed her life. Hailing from a rural family, she faced financial challenges due to the family’s reliance on a small holding in their village. Last year, while surfing the Internet on her brother’s smartphone, she came across a Digital Literacy Programme, a women-only program offering training on basic digital literacy, digital citizenship, digital safety, e-wallet, and e-health.

“Well, earlier the community around me led me to believe that education and careers are primarily for boys, which damaged my self-confidence,” she says. “Nevertheless, the life skills she gained from the Digital Literacy Programme boosted my self-esteem. Before joining the programme, I struggled to make ends meet, but now I earn up to Rs 20,000 per month.” This digital earning has helped Aqsa continue her university education besides providing financial assistance to her father and siblings.

Aqsa is not the solo success story of the digitally impacted world. The Digital Literacy Programme, offered by CIRCLE Women Organisation, is a high-impact training and mentorship programme, piloted in 2020 with UN Women Support. Sadaffe Abid, who pioneered the programme, says that women empowerment is possible through digitally literate women. She is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment, digital literacy, and financial inclusion.

She says the success of the programme has proved that women, regardless of their ethnic, financial, and social background, when given a chance, are smart learners. She proves her point with facts. She says that in more than 80 cities of Pakistan, her organization has helped set up 2,581 micro-business setups online since 2020. “The encouraging thing is that most of these women-led businesses are thriving and growing.” Over time, up to 13,400 female graduates from underserved communities have benefitted from these tech programs. “These graduates have brought about a revolution, a digital revolution, and this is all visible online,” says Ms Abid. Her efforts have helped graduates create and promote 10,098 Instagram profiles, 10,332 Facebook profiles and business pages, and 11,612 mobile wallets.

“The women were coached 50 business coaching sessions – all sessions online.” On International Women’s Day, Sadaffe Abid says the digital literacy programme plays an instrumental role in promoting equitable access to technology in Pakistan. Sadaffe Abid was a founding team member, COO, and later CEO of Kashf Foundation, a Forbes 50 global MFI that she helped grow to 300,000 women clients in Pakistan. Sadaffe is INSEAD’s Social Entrepreneur-in-Residence and the Vice President of Pakistan Microfinance Network. She completed her Masters at Harvard Kennedy School and Advanced Management Program at INSEAD. She designs programs to empower underserved women through digital literacy, social media for business development, and financial inclusion. Training is delivered online using smartphones and on-site.