This research, supported by the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) and undertaken by IT for Change, seeks to understand how principles promoting women’s inclusion and gender sensitivity can be incorporated into Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD) projects through an analysis of five interventions: Abhiyan’s Mahiti Mitra kiosks, DHAN Foundation’s Village Information Centres, the E-Krishi application within the Akshaya project, rural eSeva kiosks and the Community Learning Centres and Trade Facilitation Centres of SEWA.
These specific projects were selected on the basis of their representation of different development typologies, geographical coverage, scale, type of ownership (government or civil society sector) and their stated approach to gender and social justice. In addition to the field research undertaken between February and April 2007 using qualitative methods, the research also built on secondary sources. Each of the five interventions aims to improve community development and linkages with external institutions to better address community needs, while women’s empowerment was not necessarily an explicit objective for all cases.