A gift of digital literacy
At a Rotary vocational centre in Delhi, learners — Nikita (14), Mohit (10) and Abhishek Rawat (20) — are thrilled to present a mock marketing assignment through Power point. A couple of weeks back they experienced similar excitement as they filed short essays and letters in MS Word. Such accomplishments matter most to them as they are first generation learners, studying in government schools. They are actually touching a computer for the first time, thanks to the endeavour of the Rotarians of RC Delhi South West, D 3011. The children, whose parents are mostly construction workers, dream to excel in computers and get placements that will get them a decent salary… decent enough to pull their families out of poverty.
The club has recently inaugurated the digital literacy and vocational centre at Humayunpur, Safdarjung Enclave, in Delhi, to provide computer education especially for underprivileged children from the neighbouring slums. Three-month courses in MS-Office, DBMS,
C Language and the accounting software, Tally, are taught here. Pushpa Agarwal, spouse of Rtn Ashok Agarwal, is the administrator. Nearly 30 students have enrolled in the first batch. The course fee is Rs 350 a month; “it is totally free for those who cannot afford event this,” says Club President Lokesh Gupta.
Members of the club-sponsored Rotaract club teach Tally. “I am able to prepare my accounts accurately and faster now,” says Shweta Goyal, a graduate from the Maitri College. She runs a retail shop.
The centre is housed in a building owned by the NGO Streebal, working for women’s empowerment. The club raised the project cost of Rs 4 lakh from its members.
The centre is put to maximum use, benefitting several people. It transforms into a tuition centre in the evenings when 45 schoolchildren receive tuitions after school. Rtn Sunita Verma is in charge of the tuition centre. On weekends, it converts to a tailoring class for 25 women. Singer, a partner, has installed sewing machines at this centre.
