The Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) recently held a session with students from the Global Health programme at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, focusing on the growing digital divide between the West and South Asia. The session was led by Osama Manzar, Founder-Director of DEF, and explored the realities of digital access in India, the implications for public health and development, and the work DEF has done over the past two decades to address these challenges.
Osama began by sharing his personal journey, starting with his background in media and technology. In the early 2000s, he observed that India’s rapid digital expansion was leaving rural communities behind. This led to the founding of DEF in 2002, with the aim of using digital tools to improve access to information and public services in underserved regions.
The discussion highlighted how over 400 million people in India remain without internet access. While urban digital access is steadily improving, rural India still lags behind, with digital penetration at only 37%. Osama pointed out that digital inequality in India is shaped by various factors including geography, income, gender, education, and caste.
He spoke about DEF’s work across 150 districts in 26 Indian states, where the organisation has supported local communities through models such as SoochnaPreneurs—community-based information entrepreneurs who help residents navigate government schemes and services using digital tools. Many of these entrepreneurs are women, trained to assist their communities while earning a basic income. The session also explored the gendered nature of digital exclusion. Osama explained that in many parts of India, women are less likely to own mobile phones or have internet access. Even when digital devices are available in households, men often control their use. DEF’s digital literacy and access programmes aim to address this gap through targeted training and local leadership.
Students were introduced to data on digital literacy in India, where only about 38% of the population is digitally literate according to government surveys. This gap limits people’s ability to engage with health information, education, e-governance, and job opportunities. Manzar stressed that digital exclusion directly affects access to essential services, making it a public health and development concern. The conversation also touched on DEF’s international collaborations, including the expansion of its SoochnaPreneur model to Cameroon, where rural communities face similar challenges in accessing public information and services.
Osama encouraged students to view the digital divide not only as a technological issue but also as one of access, inclusion, and governance. He argued that the global conversation on digital development must include experiences from the Global South and prioritise people who have traditionally been left out. The session concluded with a discussion on how digital access and digital literacy are now central to achieving equity in areas such as health, education, and livelihoods. DEF’s work offers a model for how local, community-led solutions can contribute to reducing inequality in a digital world.
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