Google launches 'Internet Saathi' for women in rural India

In July, Google paired up with Tata Trusts to launch an initiative to provide rural women in India with internet literacy. Named “Internet Saathi,” the initiative will use “internet cycle carts” (bicycles, basically) to reach rural villages and educate women on the basic benefits of using the internet.

On the back of each bicycle is a cart that carries resources needed to educate the women. For a minimum of two days a week for four to six months, local women will be able to learn for free from the bicyclist, or “internet saathi.” In order to ensure efficient communication, the bicyclist will be a trainer sourced from a local NGO or community group. Bikes will work in clusters of three villages at a time. After making sure that the women are able to use internet devices independently, the cycle carts will move on to the next cluster.

Yesterday, Google India tweeted that they had released their first cohort of internet bikes in the small district of Dausa, Rajasthan in Western India.

The tweet was followed soon after by a second that showed a photo of a Rajasthani woman using a cellphone to access the internet. It had the caption “Jayant’s #FirstGoogleSearch was for information on the cattle she rears. What was yours? #InternetSaathi.”

The initiative plans to reach 45,000 villages and 5,000,000 women in rural communities over the next 18 months.