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Welcome to
Nari Jibon’s Online ICT Magazine!
We are very excited
to launch this new project, an online magazine produced by
our very own staff and students. The Nari Jibon (Women’s
Lives) Project, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a training
center that gives women workers training and learning
opportunities that will help them to succeed in today’s work
and business world. Our integrated English/Computers/Office
Work curriculum uses projects like this magazine to allow
our students to develop their skills in a practical and
“hands-on” manner. We also offer a Bangla/Tailoring/Business
certificate that promotes business development and skills.
Our students have made great strides in their studies, and
we are proud of them. We hope that this online magazine will
give our students a voice loud enough to be heard around the
world.
Bangladesh has made
some incredible advances in the past decade. One of the
great success stories is that of Grameen Phone, and the
impact that mobile telephone technology has had on rural
women’s lives. At Nari Jibon, we believe that mobile phones
are only the beginning, and that soon, computers and the
Internet will be available in the rural villages of
Bangladesh. We want to prepare our women students to be
industry leaders in information technology. Our students are
learning to use the Internet and other technological tools
to produce, communicate and process information. Women who
complete basic English courses and able to read and write at
a proficient level are studying digital photography,
graphics, MS Office, and other programs that will enable
them to become productive members of the workforce and
offices. Other women are learning about hardware and how to
rebuild computers from parts, surely a useful skill as
computers become more prominent in Bangladesh and South
Asia. We offer a well-equipped computer-multimedia lab and a
separate women only cyber café where women can practice
their skills in computers, internet & email, graphics, and
photography in a safe and secure space.
As the women learn
more about technology, its role in Bangladesh and the world,
and how women are an integral part of the technology field,
they will work to present their findings in this forum. In
this issue, we look forward to learning about the IT sector
in Bangladesh, prominent Bangladeshi computer scientists,
how women are using the internet to network, and what kinds
of technology jobs are available. We will also be exhibiting
some digital photography and artwork.
Enjoy the magazine,
and spread the word. Nari Jibon students are speaking to
anyone who will listen!
Sincerely,
Dr. Kathryn B. Ward,
Executive Director, Nari Jibon and Shakti Kumari Trust
Ms. Katie Zaman, Trustee, Shakti Kumari Trust, Founder-Nani. |
