Empowering Women and Girls through Digital Inclusion & Mobilizing Local Voices for Risk Communication and Response

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This event was a session at the Food Security COVID-19 Learning Event.

COVID-19 sent many of us scurrying for digital, virtual approaches to continue our work. But what about communities on the wrong side of the digital divide, with limited access and coverage? How do we reach, build trust with, and reliably support those who would not typically reach for their phones as a way to get critical information and assistance? This session brought two perspectives from Bangladesh—one focused on gender equity, the other on risk communications—to describe how teams are using digital innovations successfully to bring critical information and assistance to digitally underserved populations.

Speakers

Ishret Wahid, CARE, Bangladesh

Ishret Binte Wahid is the Senior Team Leader for Knowledge Management and Learning in CARE Bangladesh and has a Masters degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Being a certified qualitative researcher, she chose to pursue her career in knowledge management, learning, and gender. She is passionate about innovative program design and evidence-based program management, and her expertise lies in interpreting quantitative data, layering data, and visual presentation of data.

Amit Smotrich, Helen Keller International, Bangladesh

Amit Smotrich supports the USAID-funded Sustainable Agriculture and Production Linked to Improved Nutrition Status, Resilience and Gender Equity (SAPLING) activity, implemented by Helen Keller International in Bandarban, Bangladesh. She is currently a Leland International Hunger Fellow. In her capacity,  she supports project implementation, CLA (collaboration, learning and adaptation), and communications. Amit has worked in international development for over seven years on a range of issues, including food and nutrition security, environment, resilience, and WASH.