The Amartha Digital Village is aimed at bridging the digital divide and reducing digital poverty or disparities in digital literacy, and providing a space for innovation and gathering for all levels of rural society.
The Amartha Digital Village Program is an initiative from Amartha.org that provides free Wi-Fi access points for the community to support the improvement of the villagers’ business productivity. It also provides learning facilities for children in rural areas.
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The Amartha Digital Village Program
The Amartha Foundation (Yayasan Tanggung Renteng Sejahtera), also known as Amartha.org, proudly inaugurated the Amartha Digital Village Program in Tambu Village, Balaesang, Donggala, Central Sulawesi on Tuesday, 31st January 2023. The launch was attended by Aria Widyanto, Chief Risk & Sustainability Officer at Amartha, local officials, and the Balaesang village staff, as well as Sukarti, the Head of Community Empowerment at the Central Sulawesi DPPPA.
The Amartha Digital Village Program is a visionary initiative from Amartha.org, providing free Wi-Fi access points for the community to support the improvement of local businesses and offer learning opportunities for children in rural areas. In its first phase, five internet-deprived villages in Central Sulawesi were selected to become Amartha Digital Villages: Tinabogan, Toaya Vunta, Tambu, Iloheluma, and Maleo. The program aims to bridge the digital divide and reduce digital poverty, providing a space for innovation and community gathering for all rural villagers around the area.
According to the 2022 Indonesian Internet Profile report released by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), internet usage is still concentrated on Java Island with 43.92 percent, followed by Sumatra at 16.63 percent, and Sulawesi Island in third position with 5.53 percent.
Andi Liu, the head of the village of Balaesang, expresses his support for this initiative. He says, “The villagers have a high interest in adopting technology that they hope will support their activities. However, not many people in the village know how to use the internet to improve their productivity. With the provision of free internet access and digital literacy education, we are optimistic that business owners, students, homemakers, and all members of the community can benefit from it and enhance their capabilities. We are very grateful for the initiative of Amartha.org in improving our village”.
According to Aria Widyanto, Chief Risk & Sustainability Officer at Amartha, “the Desa Digital Amartha program by Amartha.org is a manifestation of their commitment to reducing digital inequality and “digital poverty”. In the digital transformation era, the ability to use digital devices for productive purposes will help speed up the path to prosperity. Unfortunately, rural communities often face difficulty accessing the internet, so Amartha needs to facilitate this by building satellite networks and creating internet hubs. In addition to providing infrastructure, Amartha.org also intervenes to ensure that these facilities are properly used, one of which is through digital literacy education.“
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