GO DIGITAL ASEAN –
BRUNEI DARUSSALAM 2020
Targeting disadvantaged communities across ASEAN, the Go Digital ASEAN initiative is designed to equip MSMEs and the emerging workforce, particularly those in rural and isolated areas, with digital skills and tools; expand economic opportunity across ASEAN countries; and minimize the negative impact from the Covid-19 crisis. The project will reach up to 200,000 underserved people and rural micro-enterprises across the region.
Target: 2,500 participants
Big BWN Project will be focusing on 2,000 underemployed/unemployed youths, 450 youths from marginalized communities and indigenous groups and 50 people with disabilities from around Brunei Darussalam, within the ages 18-35 years old. This project will run from August 2020 until June 2021, across the four districts nationwide.
Overview
We had engaged with multiple stakeholders and local agencies to facilitate this project successfully – BAH Digital, Digital Economy Council Brunei, Authority for Info-Communications Technology Industry (AiTi), BruCert, Comquest Brunei, Nisai Group Sdn Bhd, Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE), Jobcentre Brunei, Politeknik Brunei, University Brunei Darussalam, University Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Kemuda Institute, Laksamana College of Business, Cosmopolitan College, Mahad Islam Brunei, SEED Program, US Embassy Brunei Darussalam, STPRI, Sumbiling Eco Village, Mendaram Besar Long House, Belait District Office, Temburong District Office, Tutong District Office, Women Entrepreneurship Week 2021 and Projek FEED as strategic partners.
This project was also supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Brunei and the STEP Centre, Ministry of Education.
We have successfully exceeded our target of 2,500 trained individuals from all the 4 districts across the country. Participants mainly consisted of local students, fresh graduates and soon-to-be graduates between the ages of 18-25 from various fields and backgrounds. The participants between ages of 25-35 are mostly those who are unemployed and are looking to upskill. We also did a session for the inaugural virtual Women’s Entrepreneurship Week for aspiring women entrepreneurs, many of them unemployed. Participants have had the chance to interact with e-commerce platform owners and explore ways on how they can get their businesses online, exploring different ways to grow their businesses so they can create more job opportunities and also digital marketing tools that would be useful for their employability.
As the Covid-19 pandemic resurfaced in early August 2021, we had to move all our planned training sessions online, and restructure our content to fit the needs of the time. Some sessions scheduled to be held at the deeper rural areas had to be cancelled due to lack of connectivity and resources, and restrictions from the local government limiting access into the areas.
What is Go Digital ASEAN
Working with governments, local partners, and youth volunteers across the 10 ASEAN countries, Go Digital ASEAN delivers training for beneficiaries in villages and secondary cities, equips MSME owners and workers with the tools to leverage the digital economy, and provides information on Covid-19 assistance.
For more information, visit the official page for Go Digital ASEAN.
Or download this PDF information sheet.
Strategic partners
Supported by
Publications
May 14th, Thomson Reuters media article:
May 13th, in The Asia Foundation blog:
Digital access for the region’s microbusinesses
Both pieces broadly highlight issues around digital access for underserved communities
The project page is available here.
You can also download the PDF Information sheet
Go Digital ASEAN
Digital skills to unlock economic opportunities
The Go Digital ASEAN initiative focuses on closing the digital gap across ASEAN, in support of the vision set out by the ASEAN Coordinating Committee on MSMEs. Implemented by The Asia Foundation, with support from Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, the initiative will train up to 200,000 people from rural regions and underserved communities—including entrepreneurs, underemployed youth, and women. Working with local partners in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, the $3.3 million grant will broaden participation in the digital economy to include groups that have the most to gain from 21st-century skills, such as digital literacy and online safety awareness.
About The Asia Foundation
asiafoundation.org
The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives across a dynamic and developing Asia. Informed by six decades of experience and deep local expertise, our work across the region addresses five overarching goals—strengthen governance, empower women, expand economic opportunity, increase environmental resilience, and promote international cooperation. Headquartered in San Francisco, The Asia Foundation works through a network of offices in 18 Asian countries and in Washington, DC.
About Google.org
google.org
Google.org, Google’s philanthropy, supports nonprofits that address humanitarian issues and apply scalable, data-driven innovation to solving the world’s biggest challenges. We accelerate their progress by connecting them with a unique blend of support that includes funding, products, and technical expertise from Google volunteers. We engage with these believers-turned-doers who make a significant impact on the communities they represent, and whose work has the potential to produce meaningful change. We want a world that works for everyone—and we believe technology and innovation can move the needle.
