The hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy, linguistic and geographical barriers, said a release by UN Women.
South Asia’s first knowledge hub in various languages for elected rural women representatives was launched in Jaipur on Thursday.
The Regional Centre for Excellence was opened by UN Women’s Executive Director Michelle Bachelet and four elected women representatives from the region. The hub will use audio and video content in different languages to reach women leaders in remote areas, cutting past literacy, linguistic and geographical barriers, said a release by UN Women.
“This is a huge leap forward for women leaders across South Asia.
The Centre will ensure that much needed information is available to them in different languages,” Bachelet said.
Bhavana Damor, a three-term sarpanch (village head) from Rampur Mewada Gram Panchayat (village council) in Rajasthan, said, “Greater access to information will help us serve our communities more effectively.”
For instance, women from Bhutan or Madhya Pradesh will be able to share their experiences by uploading audio-visual content on mobiles using an interactive application, Wi-Net.
The Centre is part of a collaborative programme of UN Women, the
Government of India, the Royal Government of Norway and civil society organisations to train 65,000 elected women representatives in 16 districts of five States to become more effective leaders.
Source: Business Line dated 5th October 2012
