Micro-credit and village women's economic activities
Tuesday, 30 March 2010
Shihabuddin Mahmud and Tahmina Afroz Momen
There are also some NGO's such as 'Proshika', BRAC or Asa, the leading NOGs, offering programmes for micro-credit system to lend money to the village women. As far as Proshikah is concerned it has introduced vocational training and at the same time providing initial fund to buy equipment after the training period is over. In such training programme they learn the alphabets and learn how to read and write the basic things. However, in this training there are also different categories depending on the educational background of the women who come for such activities. Some training may only concentrate on the demonstration and can be understood without having basic knowledge about farming, producing handicraft and preparing food and selling products etc. Minimum qualification and education is needed to run the machineries properly and efficiently. They are tailoring, embroidery works, knitting, or working in different factories producing goods.
Micro credit is one important initiative that has proved potentiality of poor women, who even without proper education and training are able to get job in the formal sector or can also open their own enterprises even from their own domestic spaces with the help of short technical training.
Credit from the Grameen Bank (GB) has enabled many poor women to engage in income-earning activities in the villages of Bangladesh. This article examines the impact of this process on their relative well-being. For the purposes of the present study, women's empowerment has been linked to three aspects that can make them cable of taking services from IT or ICT. These are as follows: a. the degree of freedom to which women can live their lives; b. their ability to control decision making within the family; c. their relative access to household resources, such as food, education, healthcare.
Rural knowledge centre (RKC) focused to help village women
The main objective of Rural Knowledge Centre (RKC) is to provide information and digital knowledge to people living in coastal and rural areas in Bangladesh. However, these centres tried to provide some equipment and services to each network member's RKC such as, computers, printer, mobile phone with internet connection and lamination machine. Some member organisations are providing photocopy machine, digital camera, and scanner machine as well. The services for the time being they offered are as follows: Services offered 1. Information Services
2. Computer education
3. Internet & e-mail service
4. ICT for Development Education
5. Phone facilities
6. Laminating services
The outcome of RKC is various. Social achievement is perhaps the most prominent. The transformation in the life styles is tremendous as people have access to knowledge and information. The types of Social Achievement's are as follows:
a. Now, the local community has been introduced with ICTs, who did not have accessibility and affordability to these technologies;
b. The proximity of telephone and internet services connects rural people and facilitates their communication with others;
c. Community people are benefited with free access to resource materials provided from RKC including educational posters, periodic, magazine and books;
d. Students get and team their S.S.C and H.S.C results by the help of internet directly and quickly.
2. Economic Achievement
a. Students receive computer education by sharing minimum cost as common access point
b. Upon training completion learners can use RKC services like internet for job searching.
c. Increased in Earning as trained persons get involved with the Govt's Voter ID Registration program and earning daily up to Taka 400.
d. People can download different government form, around 59 types, and can apply for required services with minimum cost, which was very costly for them before as they had to go to those offices.
3. Environmental Impact and Safety percussions
a. People could get advanced information on cyclone from RKC and could take measures for disaster risk reduction
4. Voter Registration and ID Card Programme
Skill persons for voter registration and ID card programme
Due to RKC the life of the rural people has become easy and people are economically benefited. They can collect easily materials like government forms and formats from RICs at low cost. Earlier, they had to go to the district headquarters for these services. Students receive computer education by sharing minimum cost. After completing computer training from RKC, they can search jobs using Internet and some of them got jobs. The proximity of telephone, Internet and photocopying services has helped the rural people in the immediate vicinity of the RKC to easily and promptly communicate with their relatives. Finally, people use them as business centres, to look for business opportunities, to advertise services, to develop marketing etc.
5. Methodology for a Pilot Test in Two Villages in Fein District
3 A total of 95 rural youth, both male and female, trained from Rural Knowledge Centers have been included as Data Operator in the Voter Registration for preparing a fresh voter list with photographs and National Identity Card (NID) programme, taken by the Bangladesh Election Commission.
A sample survey has been conducted based on a questionnaire to find out the internet and IT users among the village women in two distinguish villages in the West of Feni district in the southern zone of Bangladesh. The purpose of the pilot test was a preliminary investigation for test if the samples are eligible and the data are reliable.
The questionnaire aimed to find the types of economic activities that may get or involved in e-services they are taking and why? Another important aspect was to draw comparison between these two villages so that the benefit of the using the computers and internet is known and to find the factors for which inter ' net is not yet accessible. Two villages namely Domurua and Sindurpur were chosen randomly side by side where the villages have the common post office and within the same union. The village people use the same bazaar area at Rajapur, where this post office is located and all important NGO offices have their offices and representatives.
Following are the types and the percentage of home based jobs that are involved and linked with e-services through internet in two villages, Domurua and Sindurpur.
As mentioned before, this is just a sample survey for a comprehensive research regarding the use of IT for village women. It is quite obvious that there will be improvement and women will be able to get information on supply and demand. As far as these two villages are concerned, Domurua seems to be little ahead of Sindurpur and one important reason is that the involvement of the women participants are more and the distance factor. Domurua is more closer to Rajapur bazaar than Sindurpur. The number of women literacy rate is also higher in Domurua than Sindurpur.
Discussion on the result
As the pilot test just depends on only 10 questionnaire for each villages, it will be little over estimated result which may not be reliable, however, a number of correlations that are yet to be achieved, which mostly depend on women education of primary and secondary levels. The usages of internet in comparison with the mobile phone are negligible.
As there is a language barrier, women prefer to communicate with mobile phone than internet or yahoo messenger. Though internet is cheaper, mobile phone is more popular. One good reason is that they are not yet used to it and for using it the women has to go the Rajapur bazaar, where they have internet caffe. The environment in the cafe is also suitable for boys or men than village women. Table 1. shows that women involvement in the poultry firm is highest in Sindurpur at 10.20% whereas women in Domurua village are more involved in garments job. The uses of internet and mobile phone with the distributor and middleman are more than the women who are involved in poultry firm. It is usually the people who comes and collects in a regular basis and do not require such IT communication as such.
The uses of internet through mobile phone will be popular at time but it has certain barriers as far as village women users are concerned. Perhaps, they are illiterate, social and religious obligations, easy accessibility, high installation and operational cost, and finally it needs training.
It is possible to provide training centres where young and school going girls/women can be trained up who further can train other women all basic knowledge's about internet and how to get important information such as medical services. If these women can get all necessary documents and information easily, they will save time and money and as an entrepreneur for their own business also can be beneficial.
It is obvious that the use of ICT are various and people, particularly, village women may obtain huge benefit and have their economic freedom through the services. The government approved the National ICT policy in October 2002 with the aim of building an ICT-driven nation comprising a knowledge-based society. A project "Support to ICT V Task Force" primarily for introducing e-governance is being implemented. It is much felt that there should be a centre for e-governance initiative which will oversee the total ICT implementation in the country thus coordinating all ICT activities. An important and essential unit of this centre should be a National Data Resource Centre where all the information and data can be stored. The present Awami League government came to power with a mandate that they would make a Digital Bangladesh as announced by the Prime Minister Sheik Hasina.
To help the ICT sector flourish in the country, there is a great need for an effective legal framework. Suitable legal reforms can create an ICT friendly legal environment which will help this sector grow by attracting investment. A recent amendment to the Copyright Act 2004 incorporating issues related to ICT will reduce the piracy of copyright of an individual or a company. Software and web page can have copyright using this act. Our much desired paperless environment and filing system in our offices need certain legal protection. To create a smooth environment for e-commerce to safeguard the dealings over the net and to check the threat to computer communication ICT law should be passed in parliament.
The law needs to have a legal framework that recognises digital signatures and other electronic documents and have enough provisions to check cyber crimes, which are not covered by existing law of the land. In order to let the IT sector take off the government should pass a comprehensive cyber law without any further delay. Bangladesh is passing through a juncture where the present government has the opportunity to take the nation successfully into the digital world and can thus play a historic role at the dawn of this new millennium.
Dr. Mahmud is an Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning, King Faisal University, KSA, and Tahmina Afroz Momen is a teacher in a school in Dhamam, KSA
There are also some NGO's such as 'Proshika', BRAC or Asa, the leading NOGs, offering programmes for micro-credit system to lend money to the village women. As far as Proshikah is concerned it has introduced vocational training and at the same time providing initial fund to buy equipment after the training period is over. In such training programme they learn the alphabets and learn how to read and write the basic things. However, in this training there are also different categories depending on the educational background of the women who come for such activities. Some training may only concentrate on the demonstration and can be understood without having basic knowledge about farming, producing handicraft and preparing food and selling products etc. Minimum qualification and education is needed to run the machineries properly and efficiently. They are tailoring, embroidery works, knitting, or working in different factories producing goods.
Micro credit is one important initiative that has proved potentiality of poor women, who even without proper education and training are able to get job in the formal sector or can also open their own enterprises even from their own domestic spaces with the help of short technical training.
Credit from the Grameen Bank (GB) has enabled many poor women to engage in income-earning activities in the villages of Bangladesh. This article examines the impact of this process on their relative well-being. For the purposes of the present study, women's empowerment has been linked to three aspects that can make them cable of taking services from IT or ICT. These are as follows: a. the degree of freedom to which women can live their lives; b. their ability to control decision making within the family; c. their relative access to household resources, such as food, education, healthcare.
Rural knowledge centre (RKC) focused to help village women
The main objective of Rural Knowledge Centre (RKC) is to provide information and digital knowledge to people living in coastal and rural areas in Bangladesh. However, these centres tried to provide some equipment and services to each network member's RKC such as, computers, printer, mobile phone with internet connection and lamination machine. Some member organisations are providing photocopy machine, digital camera, and scanner machine as well. The services for the time being they offered are as follows: Services offered 1. Information Services
2. Computer education
3. Internet & e-mail service
4. ICT for Development Education
5. Phone facilities
6. Laminating services
The outcome of RKC is various. Social achievement is perhaps the most prominent. The transformation in the life styles is tremendous as people have access to knowledge and information. The types of Social Achievement's are as follows:
a. Now, the local community has been introduced with ICTs, who did not have accessibility and affordability to these technologies;
b. The proximity of telephone and internet services connects rural people and facilitates their communication with others;
c. Community people are benefited with free access to resource materials provided from RKC including educational posters, periodic, magazine and books;
d. Students get and team their S.S.C and H.S.C results by the help of internet directly and quickly.
2. Economic Achievement
a. Students receive computer education by sharing minimum cost as common access point
b. Upon training completion learners can use RKC services like internet for job searching.
c. Increased in Earning as trained persons get involved with the Govt's Voter ID Registration program and earning daily up to Taka 400.
d. People can download different government form, around 59 types, and can apply for required services with minimum cost, which was very costly for them before as they had to go to those offices.
3. Environmental Impact and Safety percussions
a. People could get advanced information on cyclone from RKC and could take measures for disaster risk reduction
4. Voter Registration and ID Card Programme
Skill persons for voter registration and ID card programme
Due to RKC the life of the rural people has become easy and people are economically benefited. They can collect easily materials like government forms and formats from RICs at low cost. Earlier, they had to go to the district headquarters for these services. Students receive computer education by sharing minimum cost. After completing computer training from RKC, they can search jobs using Internet and some of them got jobs. The proximity of telephone, Internet and photocopying services has helped the rural people in the immediate vicinity of the RKC to easily and promptly communicate with their relatives. Finally, people use them as business centres, to look for business opportunities, to advertise services, to develop marketing etc.
5. Methodology for a Pilot Test in Two Villages in Fein District
3 A total of 95 rural youth, both male and female, trained from Rural Knowledge Centers have been included as Data Operator in the Voter Registration for preparing a fresh voter list with photographs and National Identity Card (NID) programme, taken by the Bangladesh Election Commission.
A sample survey has been conducted based on a questionnaire to find out the internet and IT users among the village women in two distinguish villages in the West of Feni district in the southern zone of Bangladesh. The purpose of the pilot test was a preliminary investigation for test if the samples are eligible and the data are reliable.
The questionnaire aimed to find the types of economic activities that may get or involved in e-services they are taking and why? Another important aspect was to draw comparison between these two villages so that the benefit of the using the computers and internet is known and to find the factors for which inter ' net is not yet accessible. Two villages namely Domurua and Sindurpur were chosen randomly side by side where the villages have the common post office and within the same union. The village people use the same bazaar area at Rajapur, where this post office is located and all important NGO offices have their offices and representatives.
Following are the types and the percentage of home based jobs that are involved and linked with e-services through internet in two villages, Domurua and Sindurpur.
As mentioned before, this is just a sample survey for a comprehensive research regarding the use of IT for village women. It is quite obvious that there will be improvement and women will be able to get information on supply and demand. As far as these two villages are concerned, Domurua seems to be little ahead of Sindurpur and one important reason is that the involvement of the women participants are more and the distance factor. Domurua is more closer to Rajapur bazaar than Sindurpur. The number of women literacy rate is also higher in Domurua than Sindurpur.
Discussion on the result
| Types of Home users based 3obs gets help from eservices | Domurua | Sindurpur (%) | Total | Types of IT/Mobile phone |
| 1. Garment jobs (embroidery, making handmade blankets) | 10.20 | 6.40 | 16.60 | Both internet and mobile are used |
| 2. Different Workshops (tailoring, hairdresser, handloom silk. laundry) | 8.30 | 5.60 | 13.90 | Only mobile |
| 3. Households goods (sweet boxes, match boxes, weaving baskets, packaging goods, handicraft with bamboos) | 12.40 | 8.40 | 20.80 | Both internet and mobile are used |
| 4. Food (delivery foods, restaurants, tea stall, bakery etc.) | 2.80 | 2.10 | 3.90 | Mobile |
| 5. Grocery shops, clothing shops, fruit and vegetable shops, firewood shops) | 9.10 | 7.30 | 16.40 | Mobile |
| 6. Sorting old goods and papers | 4.70 | 3.10 | 7.80 | None |
| 7. Poultry firm (producing egg and chickens) | 8.20 | 12.20 | 20.40 | Mobile sometimes |
| Percentage of taking eservices (Total) | 57.5 | 42.5 | 100% |
As the pilot test just depends on only 10 questionnaire for each villages, it will be little over estimated result which may not be reliable, however, a number of correlations that are yet to be achieved, which mostly depend on women education of primary and secondary levels. The usages of internet in comparison with the mobile phone are negligible.
As there is a language barrier, women prefer to communicate with mobile phone than internet or yahoo messenger. Though internet is cheaper, mobile phone is more popular. One good reason is that they are not yet used to it and for using it the women has to go the Rajapur bazaar, where they have internet caffe. The environment in the cafe is also suitable for boys or men than village women. Table 1. shows that women involvement in the poultry firm is highest in Sindurpur at 10.20% whereas women in Domurua village are more involved in garments job. The uses of internet and mobile phone with the distributor and middleman are more than the women who are involved in poultry firm. It is usually the people who comes and collects in a regular basis and do not require such IT communication as such.
The uses of internet through mobile phone will be popular at time but it has certain barriers as far as village women users are concerned. Perhaps, they are illiterate, social and religious obligations, easy accessibility, high installation and operational cost, and finally it needs training.
It is possible to provide training centres where young and school going girls/women can be trained up who further can train other women all basic knowledge's about internet and how to get important information such as medical services. If these women can get all necessary documents and information easily, they will save time and money and as an entrepreneur for their own business also can be beneficial.
It is obvious that the use of ICT are various and people, particularly, village women may obtain huge benefit and have their economic freedom through the services. The government approved the National ICT policy in October 2002 with the aim of building an ICT-driven nation comprising a knowledge-based society. A project "Support to ICT V Task Force" primarily for introducing e-governance is being implemented. It is much felt that there should be a centre for e-governance initiative which will oversee the total ICT implementation in the country thus coordinating all ICT activities. An important and essential unit of this centre should be a National Data Resource Centre where all the information and data can be stored. The present Awami League government came to power with a mandate that they would make a Digital Bangladesh as announced by the Prime Minister Sheik Hasina.
To help the ICT sector flourish in the country, there is a great need for an effective legal framework. Suitable legal reforms can create an ICT friendly legal environment which will help this sector grow by attracting investment. A recent amendment to the Copyright Act 2004 incorporating issues related to ICT will reduce the piracy of copyright of an individual or a company. Software and web page can have copyright using this act. Our much desired paperless environment and filing system in our offices need certain legal protection. To create a smooth environment for e-commerce to safeguard the dealings over the net and to check the threat to computer communication ICT law should be passed in parliament.
The law needs to have a legal framework that recognises digital signatures and other electronic documents and have enough provisions to check cyber crimes, which are not covered by existing law of the land. In order to let the IT sector take off the government should pass a comprehensive cyber law without any further delay. Bangladesh is passing through a juncture where the present government has the opportunity to take the nation successfully into the digital world and can thus play a historic role at the dawn of this new millennium.
Dr. Mahmud is an Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning, King Faisal University, KSA, and Tahmina Afroz Momen is a teacher in a school in Dhamam, KSA