A mobile platform for democracy in underprivileged and remote areas of India

An UNDEF-funded project in rural India completed its work the end of 2015 to promote democratic processes and human rights through the use of media and the freedom of information, including by launching a platform for communities to share audio information using mobile phones and the internet.  The initiative worked to develop an information network and create open channels of communication that are accessible to the poor, including disenfranchised indigenous communities of central India;  democratize media and generate a platform to share concerns and opinions; provide real grassroots feedback to administration; and engage mainstream society to act on issues relevant to indigenous rural communities. The project enabled one community to obtain a ration card, a registration card, and a water card to receive social services, all by being able to communicate more effectively with government officials. Another community received a school and will soon benefit from a clinic. UNDEF's Deputy Head for Programmes, Mikiko Sawanishi, pictured, visited Andhra Pradesh in July 2016 to meet with the Society for Integrated Tribal and Rural Action, Sitara, which implemented the project.