Digi programme to digitally-empower more women

  • Educational meet-ups, in future to help women get their business online
  • Open to requests from the public to bring DigiWED to any community
Digi programme to digitally-empower more women

DIGI Telecommunications Sdn Bhd, through its Empower Societies initiative, has launched its Digi Wanita Era Digital (Digital Era Women) programme to “bring the power of the Internet” to more Malaysian women, it said in a statement.
 
The new programme – with the unfortunate acronym WED, which led to an unfortunate tagline of ‘Digi WEDs women and the Internet’ – is a nationwide outreach to inspire and empower women in Malaysia through greater Internet adoption and education on basic Internet skills, according to Digi.
 
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WED is a collaboration between Digi, the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), and the National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO).
 
The main thrust of WED is a series of educational meet-ups that will be conducted at 1Malaysia Internet Centres and NCWO affiliates’ offices around the country.
 
These meet-ups will introduce women to basic, safe usage of smart devices and the internet for communicating, sharing, browsing, and entertainment.
 
In the near future, Digi will look to expand the programme to help women take their business online and actively participate in the digital economy, the mobile telco said.
 
“Progress towards becoming a digital nation must be an inclusive process,” said Dr Sharifah Zarah Syed Ahmad, Secretary General of the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia.
 
“By connecting the unconnected and bridging the digital gender gap, we help ensure all Malaysian can be active participants and contributors to growing our digital economy,” she said after officiating at the recent launch of Digi Wanita Era Digital.
 
48.5% of the Malaysian population are women, and six million of these women have yet to access the Internet, according to Orsolya Sekerka, Digi’s chief it officer and ‘WED champion,’ citing data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia and a TNS/ Google study.
 
“There is a great opportunity to bring meaningful change by bridging the digital gender gap, and addressing the barriers to Internet adoption among women,” she said.
 
“The Internet is a powerful instrument of transformation but it must be accompanied by skills and confidence for women to use it as a tool for empowerment.
 
“We hope Digi Wanita Era Digital will inspire Malaysian women to take advantage of the freedom to connect and benefit from all the opportunities that flow from it – not only as an Internet consumer but also an active participant in the digital economy,” she added.
 
Sekerka said that Digi is also open to requests from the public to bring DigiWED to any community in Malaysia. This means any interested parties, such as residents associations, women groups, colleges, social groups and others can reach out to the company via its website or email, and Digi will organise a meetup in their area.
 
Digi Wanita Era Digital is one of seven programmes Digi has developed under its Empower Societies initiative, launched last June to enable different community groups in urban and rural areas, netizens, youth, children, the underprivileged and now women, to enjoy the benefits of being connected.
 
For more information on Digi Wanita Era Digital, upcoming meet-ups or to get DigiWED to your community, go to www.digi.com.my/wanita.
 
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