Aide et Action’s ‘iWay’- My way to digital independence launched

On India’s 74th Independence Day, Aide et Action launched its prestigious project, iWay, an e-learning platform to provide digital literacy training to the disadvantaged communities across India. The launch was virtually graced by Manju Dashmana, CSR Head – Microsoft India, Gaurav Sharma, Eicher Foundation, Anurag Pratap, CSR Head – Capgemini, and Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee – M3M Foundation, along with Shri. Sharad Chandra Behar (IAS) Retd, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh & President, Aide et Action India Board, Ravi Pratap Singh, International Program Director – Aide et Action International & Regional Director – AEAI South Asia, and Sajeev P Balan, Director – Program Development & Support, Aide et Action International South Asia.

While speaking at the specially organized Facebook live, Dr Aishwarya Mahajan, Director – Livelihood Education, Aide et Action International South Asia said “Digital literacy is the need of the hour in India where technology is being used for a wide range of services including education, health, communication, e-commerce etc,. Through iWay, individuals can learn to efficiently use a computer, send and receive emails over the internet, navigate a website, use a smartphone, interact on social media, and have a deeper understanding of e-governance and e-security.”

While speaking at the launch, Manju Dashmana lauded the efforts of Aide et Action in transforming the lives of underprivileged through the digital literacy & skill development programmes offered by the iLEAD initiative. Gaurav Sharma felt that the “iWay” e-platform would yield value in terms of sustainability by connecting the rural world with right information and right resources. Anurag Pratap reminisced the earlier days when it was a cumbersome process to visit a bank to perform transactions and related to the present times where tech-oriented micro-solutions made everything possible through few clicks on mobile phones. He appreciated the efforts of Aide et Action in their endeavor to transfer this knowledge to the marginalized communities through their digital inclusive programme – iWay. Dr.Payal Kanodia recalled her initial discussions with Aide et Action team to spearhead the iMpower initiative in Gurgaon for the construction workers and appreciated the team’s commitment to empowering the communities in distress.

Shri Sharad Chandra Behar officially launched the iWay e-platform in the virtual presence of Aide et Action’s long-standing supporters, partners and, team members. He hoped that the iWay platform would help bridge the digital divide and work towards promoting equity in society. He stressed on the importance of technology in times of pandemic when physical/direct communication is a challenge.

Ravi Pratap Singh acknowledged the support of all the partners including Microsoft India, Eicher Foundation, Capgemini, M3M Foundation, Accenture, HCL Foundation and, many others for their collective vision & efforts to bridge the digital divide. He lauded the commitment of Aide et Action’s team in understanding the gaps at the community-level and striving hard to bridge them through innovative digital educational programmes.

Citing the example of COVID-19 situation, Sajeev recalled how digital education has become non-negotiable in the present times. Through various educational projects implemented by Aide et Action in the last decade, he appraised that more than 3,15,000 people have received digital literacy training reiterating AEA’s commitment to promoting digital inclusion and equity.
The highlight of the launch was the experience sharing of beneficiaries from across India on the use and impact of digital technology in their lives.

The ‘iWay’ e-learning platform, available in two languages – English & Hindi, includes customized adaptive learning modules along with robust online assessments, which result in the issuance of certification that boosts the confidence of individuals to use technology for their betterment. The ‘iWay’ e-learning is free & open for all platform where anyone interested in acquainting themselves with digital literacy skills can register on the specially designed website.