How Frminist Approach to Technology is transforming the lives of women through innovation and tech

In the village of Orap in Buxar district, Bihar, 23-year-old Poonam Kumari became the first person in her community to finish school. Not by fate, but through conscious and persistent struggle against patriarchy and control in a community known for child marriage and early marriage of girls. 

The constant pressure from her family to drop out of school and get married led to Kumari losing focus in academics and failing class 10 in 2018. Soon after, she began assisting her mother in the farm.  Meanwhile, she also joined as a fellow at the local technology centre in her village run by Feminist Approach to Technology, a non-profit that bridges the gender gap in STEM and empowers women and girls from marginalised communities through education, training, and advocacy. 

After a year of training at Feminist Approach to Technology, Kumari continued her schooling from where she left off.  Today, thanks to the organisation, Kumari has not only completed her schooling but has also become a community leader at Feminist Approach to Technology, training young girls and women in basic computer skills, gender studies, and negotiation skills, which help them reclaim their place in society and pursue studies and careers of their choice. 

Feminist Approach to Technology was founded in 2007 by Gayatri Buragohain, a passionate advocate of gender equality, who recognised the critical role technology plays in shaping the lives of women. 

Buragohain had experienced firsthand the challenges women faced in the technology sector. After completing her education in engineering in Assam, she worked as an electronics engineer in technical support and network administration for a few years. That's when she realised how male-dominated the technology space was, with few opportunities and platforms for women to grow and learn from.

This led her to conceptualise Feminist Approach to Technology as a space where women and girls, especially those from vulnerable backgrounds in both urban and rural areas, could access technology and use it to improve their lives. 

The non-profit was founded on Buragohain’s firm belief that if women are equipped with technological skills, they can break societal barriers, gain independence, and assert their voices in a rapidly evolving world. 

Over the years, the firm has grown to encompass three main verticals:  Young Women’s Leadership Programme, which equips girls aged 14 to 19 with an understanding of their rights, along with 21st century technology skills Girls in STEM Programme, which promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education among girls from disadvantaged backgrounds Collectivisation Initiative, which nurtures young leaders in the grassroots to carry forward the organisation’s vision Feminist Approach to Technology has local tech centres in urban slums and rural areas in and around Pune, Lajpat Nagar in Delhi, Giridih in Jharkhand, Patna, and other parts of Bihar.  “Discriminatory practices that we underwent as women in the community were so normalised and hardwired into our consciousness that we didn’t recognise them as problems until we encountered the team at Feminist Approach to Technology,” says Kumari

The team of ten young women who run Feminist Approach to Technology are grassroots community leaders in their neighbourhoods. They envision a world where women and girls are not merely passive consumers of technology but are active creators, innovators, and leaders in the field. 

The NGO initially started with small workshops in New Delhi aimed at demystifying technology and breaking down the barriers that prevent girls from entering the field.  The NGO’s work also spread beyond Delhi to Bihar, Pune and Jharkhand.  The organisation’s flagship initiative, the Tech Center for Girls, serves as a hub for skill-building, creative expression, and exploration..