The Digital Partners India’s Seattle based Partners made its first two grants to support the innovative use of IT in service to the poor in April 2001. The Fund seeks to support innovative, revenue generating efforts in the fields of education/literacy, healthcare, microenterprise and other forms of economic empowerment. Financial and/or professional assistance is given to initiatives that are either breaking new ground with IT-centric poverty alleviation programs or seeking to "reinvent" the existing processes of successful organizations. (Click here for more on the Social Venture Fund ) The grant recipients, the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Swayam Krishi Sangam (SKS), e-Cube and Hazard Center, fit wonderfully into this matrix and we are very proud to support their initiatives. (Click here for making a contribution).

The Programs

e-health initiative is an effort to help the people to get better medical facilities by connecting primary health care centers.

SEWA has received support to develop Technology Information Centers to provide training to their "barefoot managers", build capacity of their women organizers and leaders, and strengthen the microenterprises of their members. Additional information about SEWA can be found on their web site: http://www.sewa.org

SKS has been awarded a loan to develop Smart-Card applications for micro-credit lending in order to increase efficiency, lower costs, and reduce errors and fraud. If successful, a separate low-profit company will be spun off to serve the worldwide micro-credit network. For more information on SKS please refer to their website at:
http://www.sksindia.org

e-Cube Initiative in Pune District, India aims to promote "information electronic literacy" among rural populations, and explore the feasibility of employing information technology to stimulate local commerce and business to improve access of rural communities to essential government services.

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