The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : SHG women get computer training

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 18, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

SHG women get computer training

K. Manikandan

12-day programme will help them set up information kiosks, say organisers

SHARING SUCCESS STORIES: A self-help group member recalls her experiences at a training programme held at Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, West Tambaram, on Wednesday. — Photo: A. Muralitharan

TAMBARAM: The fingers that deftly packaged pickles, snacks, detergents and household items will soon be typing keyboards, clicking the mouse and sending faxes. More than two dozen members of women's self-help groups on Thursday took an important step towards financial independence when they attended the first day of a 12-day training programme on setting up information kiosks.

The programme, held at Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, is conducted by the Centre for Empowerment of Women, Anna University, and Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women Limited (TNCDW). Lecturers from the college will train the women on basic concepts of computing, and applications such as MS-Word, MS-Excel, use of Internet, desk top publishing and Tally apart from operating photocopiers and fax machines.

Short film

The women were shown a short film made by students of the Department of Media Science, Anna University. It details the success story of T. Sukanya, a young woman, who attended a similar training programme and set up an information kiosk at her village near Periyakulam in Theni district.

According to K. Hemalatha, coordinator for the project, about 1,000 women members identified from self-help groups by the TNCDW attended similar programmes in 40 engineering colleges all over the State.

Financial help

After the training, the TNCDW will offer financial assistance to the women to set up the kiosks, says Ms. Hemalatha. The women attending the programme said they were looking forward to it.

Dhoulath Meera of West Mambalam said she was already part of a group making snacks and wanted to take up more challenging work.

S. Lalitha of Nanganallur said she was attending the programme with four others from the `Thaamarai' self-help group. They plan to set up an information kiosk jointly. Stating that the group members were already making household items, she said they were eagerly looking forward to running the kiosk.

Staff from the college said it might be initially tough for many of the women to learn the basic concepts of computing, but after a couple of days, they would feel comfortable. S. Seetharaman, Principal, said the college was planning to start a cell of the Anna University's Centre for Empowerment of Women.

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