It is so easy to take the Internet for granted at this point. Whether we like it or not, the use of the web to register your child for school, reserve a book at the local library, or find resources on a health issue are now found very quickly on the World Wide Web.
And yet a significant minority on the Eastern Shore are unable to access this everyday tool. Complicated by language barriers and educational gaps that many new Americans experience, the world of the web is mainly foreign territory for hundreds in our community who pay a very high price for this discrepancy.
In fact, without computer literacy, a single appointment at the Department of Motor Vehicles cost $25 by a third party vendor to set up.
As a result of these unfair circumstances, particularly for women raising children, the Multicultural Center Resource Center and the Women & Girls Fund have worked together to develop a program for young mothers to learn and understand the web and social media.
The Spy talks to Matthew Peters, director of the Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, and Women & Girls Fund trustee, Anna Fichtner, about this early investment in empowering women.
This video is approximately four minutes in length.
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a series of stories focused on the work of the Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore. Since 2002, the Fund has channeled its pooled resources to organizations that serve the needs and quality of life for women and girls in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot Counties. The Spy, in partnership with the Women & Girls Fund, are working collaboratively to put the spotlight on twelve of these remarkable agencies to promote their success and inspire other women and men to support the Fund’s critical role in the future.
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