Raaji Rooms

What are ‘Raaji Rooms’?

Raaji Rooms are digital incubators run by rural-based women in their homes. Digital incubators or “Raaji Rooms”, created in the homes of women community leaders act as digitally inclusive learning centers and safe spaces for rural women and other vulnerable community members like children and elders who women take care of.

The incubator then becomes more than just a community center; it acts as a sustainable digital solution for rural women and girls’ post-pandemic socio-cultural, economic, and health recovery.

How do they work?

We transform an existing room of a rural woman leader’s home into a hub where education, training, and engagement are provided via digital platforms.

Who runs them?

We select one rural woman community leader (champion) who is educated and trusted in the community & can provide access to one room in her house for community gathering

Where are they located?

Dundh, Sindh

Dundh is a small village in the district of Larkana. Although it is home to nearly 100 families, nearly no information about it is available online. Being close to the historic site of Moen-Jo-Daro, the people who live in the village Dundh have a rich cultural heritage, which is reflected in their cultural embroidery work. The village has a hot desert climate with extremely hot summers and mild winters. The residents of Dundh continue to earn their wages through labour work in the crop fields and the promotion of cultural items through appliqué work. Currently, raising cattle, appliqué embroidery, and making cultural handicraft are their major sources of income.

Uzma Solangi

Rural Entrepreneur and Dundh Raaji Room Champion

Uzma’s leading Raaji Room is a powerful force in its own right. The Raaji Room in village Dundh has helped to give the village an online presence. At the age of twenty-five, Uzma is certainly an influential entrepreneur, teacher, and activist promoting maternal and menstrual health.

She has played a role in ending child marriages, and helping rural families receive government support during Covid-19 lockdowns. She is a graduate and her family members, including her father and brothers support her dreams, vision, and passion. She is an active smartphone user, who has been engaging with us regularly via WhatsApp and Zoom.

Additionally, Uzma attended the virtual Menstrual Hygiene Day event organized by Aurat Raaj on May 28, 2021 and shared her work and ideas with various speakers from Pakistan, India, and Germany.

Wahid Bux
Village Wahid Bux Gopang is undoubtedly one of Sindh's beautiful but underrated villages. It's a home of female activists and leaders. More than 100 households, including Gopang families, live here, where Sindhi and Siraeki are widely spoken. The village and its environs are among Sindh Province's driest and hottest areas, but the residents, particularly rural women, are kind-hearted and welcoming. Wahid Bux Gopang's women, like its men, are brave and driven to strive for the village's progress and prosperity.

Being in a far area of Sindh, Wahid Bux Gopang also faces electricity outage and network connectivity issues. But the Raaji Room in this area contributes to the village's Internet facility and visibility.

Urbeli

Urbeli, who just entered her 20's has realized that her village needs a digital education to confront the prevailing challenges of awareness and education. She is a rural community leader, an activist and a menstrual hygiene ambassador of Aurat Raaj. She has also influenced her brother by her social work and now he also supports her in community development work. She is a frequent smartphone user who communicates with us via Whatsapp and Zoom on a regular basis.