The LifeLines India service was born of a dream to create a digital inclusion programme that would make a real difference to people’s lives in rural India by improving their access to technology and information, and narrowing the digital divide for them.
This digital dream was realized in September 2006 when LifeLines India was launched, as a novel ICT-led helpline, under the founder partnership of British Telecom, Cisco Systems and OneWorld Foundation India. The programme commenced with strategic objectives to:
- Increase livelihood and income opportunities for rural communities through access to key decisive information
- Create a sustainable delivery model by concurrently creating a contextual knowledge base as information exchange takes place through the service
LifeLines India leverages a mix of internet and telephone technologies – to provide essential and demand-based information, advice and guidance to remote and rural communities in India – through the medium of “voice, in the local language and within 24 hours.”