Children’s right to equal opportunities: Educational initiative bridges the digital divide in India

 

In the heart of Bawana, an industrial suburb of Delhi, 16-year-old Nazia* dreams of becoming a lawyer despite the challenges of living in an informal settlement in extreme poverty with her parents and four siblings.  

 

Nazia's pursuit of an education faced obstacles as her family lived below the poverty line. As the eldest of four, she was the first to access a formal education. 

 

“I used to dream of touching a computer keyboard like other children in my class,” says Nazia. “It used to be a dream for me to be able to touch a screen; I didn’t know what it would feel like because no one in my family had ever touched a smartphone.”

 

A turning point for Nazia came when her family, struggling to make ends meet, was accepted into the SOS Children’s Villages Family Strengthening Program in Bawana during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program provided essential support, including dry rations to prevent starvation and an electronic tablet for Nazia and her siblings to keep up with their education during the lockdown. 

 

Nazia's family also faced health problems. They live next to an industrial drainage canal carrying harmful chemicals, and where they live, there is limited access to amenities like clean water.  

 

The lack of employable skills also restricted her father to low-paying manual labour jobs. With the support of the SOS Family Strengthening Program, the family received a loan to purchase a rickshaw, becoming a source of sustainable income for the struggling family of seven. Nazreen, Nadia’s mother, learned how to drive and inspired seven other women in her community to start a rickshaw business.  

 

 

Breaking the cycle

 

SOS Children’s Villages India's Digital Learning Centre has played an essential role in offering a pathway to equal opportunities. Across the country, more than 700 children, including Nazia, have received digital literacy through the initiative.  

 

Tears of joy expressed how schooling and digital literacy have benefited her family. 

 

"When I witnessed my daughter using a computer at the centre for the first time, I couldn't hold back my tears,” Nazneen says. “It was unbelievable to see my child, born into our illiterate family, confidently working on a computer like wealthy and educated individuals. The moment overwhelmed me, and I couldn't stop sobbing."

 

*Name changed to protect privacy.