Thursday, 31st July 2025: PODA successfully organized a Digital Literacy and Online Safety Training for Rural women under “Rural Women’s Network for Civic Leadership and Participation” Democracy Education Program. The session, titled “Empowering Women Through Digital Literacy and Online Safety,” aimed to enhance participants’ digital skills, promote safe online practices, and empower women to use digital tools effectively for advocacy and community engagement. A total of 32 participants from 27 districts attended the training.

Two expert speakers led the session. Ms. Alizay Fatima talked about online safety and how to use the internet intelligently. She shared useful tips to protect yourself from online scams and risks. Her main topics included: an Introduction to Digital Literacy, Responsible Use of Social Media how to move from just scrolling to using social media in a smart and meaningful way, Recognizing and Avoiding Online Risks like fake news, scams, and frauds with real-life examples, Protecting Your Digital Self by using strong passwords, keeping your accounts private, and staying safe on apps like WhatsApp and Facebook, and finally, Daily Safety Habits easy steps you can follow every day to stay safe online. She also explained how digital tools can be used in a good way to support your work and help your community.

Mr. Hamza Bashir explained talked about how digital technology is changing the world and why it’s important. He explained Digital Transformation and Why It Matters, how to use Digital Skills for Social Impact, and how women can use digital tools for their personal and community growth. He also spoke about Entrepreneurship in the Digital Space, showing how women can turn their skills like making handicrafts, into small online businesses. He covered E-Commerce and Financial Literacy, which means how to sell products online and handle digital payments safely. Lastly, he talked about Innovation and Leadership, and how women can become confident leaders in using digital tools.

The session was highly engaging and received positive feedback from participants. Many attendees recommended that such digital literacy sessions be included in PODA Annual Rural Women Training Conference.