DEF launches 'Gyan Vatika'

Digital Empowerment Foundation in association with Intel Foundation has launched a Community Information Resource Centre (CIRC) christened 'Gyan Vatika' (Knowledge Garden) in GinjoThakurGaon, Burmu Block, Ranchi, Jharkhand.

The launch of CIRC in Ginjo Thakur Gaon, in Burmu Block of Ranchi went very well. It was attended by 300 plus women from 15 villages around, local senior and active citizens, panel Doctors and Vets, and the Secretary, Rural Development, Government of Jharkhand, Mr SK Satpathy. The details of the CIRC were received very enthusiastically, and the demand could be seen in the form of participation not only in the meeting of the launch but also through demanding more through proactive participation.

Seeing the infrastructure that the GyanVatika (as it is locally named to be known) launched with, Mr. Satpathy announced that the government would be happy to give the Panchayat Bhawan as the permanent location for the GyanVatika. DEF Founder & Director, Osama Manzar met the secretary next day to formalize, and the secretary very gently suggested to him to write a formal application requesting the same and assured him that it will be sanctioned. Besides, the secretary also looks forward to use the GyanVatika group members and community for local NREGA social audit, and in the long run, to complement Rural BPO where government outsources the work to GyanVatika.

In other words, he meant ”can we make it a model center” so that we showcase it to the rest of the country!

Incidentally the website for GinjoThakur gaon is also made in English and Hindi for the updation and management by the community themselves. The URLs are :

http://defindia.net/circ_ranchi/Ginjo_English/index.asp
(English)

http://defindia.net/circ_ranchi/Ginjo_Hindi/index.asp
(Hindi)

The 'Gyan Vatika' besides providing knowledge as an empowerment tool to the masses is intended to be a hub of many activities.

The launch went very well as these photographs show below:

A detailed report is in the making and would be uploaded as soon as it is ready.

The event got very good media coverage. Click this PDF
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