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Title:
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WHY DO WOMEN IN RURAL AREAS SEEK ICT TRAINING? AN EVALUATION OF ICT TRAINING INITIATIVE TARGETING WOMEN IN RURAL AREA IN PALESTINE |
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Author(s):
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Khalid S. Rabayah |
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ISBN:
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978-972-8924-61-4 |
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Editors:
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Gunilla Bradley |
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Year:
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2008 |
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Edition:
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Single |
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Keywords:
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Women and ICT, women empowerment, ICT in rural area, ICT for development |
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Type:
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Full Paper |
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First Page:
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78 |
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Last Page:
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84 |
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Language:
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English |
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Cover:
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Full Contents:
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click to dowload 
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Paper Abstract:
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This paper presents the evaluation results of a training initiative, undertaken in Palestine that targeted rural women in
Information and Communication Technology. It describes the implementation and results of a practical training initiative
where NGOs and local women organizations cooperate jointly to develop, upgrade and enhance women' qualifications
and empowering them through ICT in their economic and social context. This paper presents the intermediate results of a
newly implemented ICT training program which targeted hundreds of women in the Palestinian rural regions. The
researchers traced the trainees' reactions and behaviors to the training initiative through focus group meetings, individual
interviews with stakeholders, and semi-structured interviews, as well as questionnaires, surveys, observations of on-going
activities and interviewing staff, graduates and students.
The training program attempted to promote social and economic empowerment and develop entrepreneurial capabilities.
Significant percentage of the surveyed women felt that they gained some level of empowerment through mastering the
basic IT skills, and believed that the training is critical in improving their living conditions. However, to attain full
benefits of ICT, a shift in training paradigm should occur towards employing these powerful tools towards empowerment
in economic, social and community development prospects, which will at the end leverage women to active players in
their own lives. |
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