"Info Ladies" in Bangladesh Bring Info to Ladies

Photo of bicycling "info ladies" courtesy of The Guardian 

For many in Bangladeshi villages, a computer issomething they may not have seen until recent years.  Now they have access Internet thanks to women known as “infoladies” who bring Internet to these villages by bicycles.

These info ladies bike into Bangladeshi villagesand provide thousands of people with laptops and Internet connection. Thisservice has been especially beneficial to women, who are the top receivers,giving them access to government services and allowing them to have contactwith their distant loved ones.

In Bangladesh, only 5 million of the population of152 million had access to the Internet. This service was created in 2008 by alocal development group called D.Net that recruits and trains women for threemonths to use the computer, the internet, printer, and camera and then providesthese women with bank loans to buy the equipment.

This is amazing because not only does this serviceprovide millions of people with access to Internet and services, but it alsocreates jobs for women who are unemployed.  Both the “info ladies” and those being served in thesevillages are empowered by this project. 

These “info ladies” also provide communities witheducation.  They will meet withteenage girls to discuss health care and subjects that are not generallydiscussed, like reproductive health. They also give villagers a voice by providing them with the tools toinitiate changes in government services.

These services are both free, or come at a smallcost but the especially positive aspect of the work of these women is that theyare empowering other women with the tools to succeed, with information, withaccess to technology, with education, and giving women a voice.  This is a huge step forward in terms ofdevelopment and in terms of women’s empowerment, especially in a country with ahigh level of gender inequality.