LAHORE: The National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) on Friday launched the second phase of the ‘Internet Dost and Internet Zabardast’ project.

The two-year initiative, running from July 2023 to July 2025, aims to transform digital literacy across Pakistan, targeting 103,500 underserved women, youth, parents, teachers, and children in 48 districts across five provinces: Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan. The project seeks to bridge the digital divide exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Approximately 40 million youth have been affected by extended school closures, and the shift to virtual learning has widened the digital divide, especially for those lacking internet access. Statistics reveal that only 54 percent of Pakistan’s population has internet access, with a notable gender disparity—50 percent of women own mobile phones compared to 81 percent of men. This leaves 22 million women without mobile phones and 12 million fewer women using mobile internet services.

The “Internet Dost and Internet Zabardast” initiative aims to address these disparities through two key programs. Internet Dost employs a ‘train-the-trainer’ model to equip women in rural areas with essential mobile phone and internet skills, enhancing their access to information. The project offers a comprehensive educational curriculum to support underserved youth in becoming safe and responsible digital citizens.

NRSP has partnered with several organisations to expand its network to enhance reach and impact. Project activities include creating a media strategy, developing IEC materials, establishing a social media presence, and conducting national and provincial inception, result dissemination, and media coverage events.

Additionally, the initiative will focus on capacity building for regional partners and field staff, digital and financial literacy training for 50,000 women, environmental awareness education for 50,000 children, and internet safety education for 2,000 teachers and 1,500 parents. Environmental awareness and climate resilience modules will also be integrated into the curriculum.

Akhuwat Foundation Chairman Amjad Saqib emphasized the importance of digital and financial literacy.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2024