When the Internet Isn’t for Everyone: Closing Sri Lanka’s Digital Gender Divide

" because some stories deserve space to be felt, not just read. "

Across Sri Lanka, girls are topping their classes. They're winning scholarships, excelling in science and math, and outshining expectations. From Puttalam to Monaragala, from Kalutara to Trincomalee, you’ll find brilliant young women with dreams bigger than their villages.

But here’s the catch: brilliance alone isn’t enough.

When it comes to digital access and opportunity, many of these high-achieving girls face a quiet but powerful obstacle course.

The Local Reality Behind the Global Numbers

According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Facts and Figures 2024:

• Globally, 70% of men use the internet compared to 65% of women—a gap leaving 189 million more men online.

• In Least Developed Countries, this divide is wider: only 29% of women are online versus 41% of men.

In Sri Lanka, while literacy and enrollment for girls are high, a different type of inequality emerges:

• In rural areas, internet access is patchy or unaffordable.

• Digital learning spaces are limited, especially in remote communities.

• Family / Common Digital Devices are often controlled by adults, and girls may not be the priority users.

• And crucially, opportunities in STEM and tech leadership are still skewed toward boys and urban youth.

So while girls may lead on paper, they often fall behind in the digital race—not because they lack talent, but because the system isn't designed with them in mind.

A Story from the Field: Not Falling Behind, Just Held Back

At a Sarvodaya Fusion center in a village near Anuradhapura, we met Tharani—a determined 17-year-old who aspires to be a software engineer. She's bright, driven, and already supports her classmates with ICT theory. But there's a catch:

“I only use a computer when I come to this center. At home, we don’t have one. My father’s smartphone is for his work. I study with books... mostly.”

Tharani doesn’t just need exposure—she needs quality ICT education that goes beyond textbooks: hands-on experience, reliable internet, a basic laptop, and a mentor to guide her growth.

She doesn’t need help to dream. She needs the right tools—and opportunities—to turn those dreams into reality.

This is not just a story we heard—it’s something we at Sarvodaya Fusion experienced firsthand.

In a rural village in off Kurunegala, a young girl logs into her first virtual classroom. Her father, a farmer, saved for weeks to buy her a secondhand smartphone. Her mother walks a several miles to the nearest Sarvodaya Fusion center just to download the learning materials.

She’s bright. Determined. Ambitious. Ready to learn.

But then the gap becomes clear.

No one had ever shown her how to create a document, search for information online, or write a simple line of HTML. “Digital skills” was a phrase she’d never heard before, let alone experienced.

This is why access alone isn’t enough. What our children need is access to quality ICT education—to unlock their full potential and shape a future where they are not just consumers of technology, but creators.

Sarvodaya Fusion: Bridging the Divide

For the past two decades, Sarvodaya Fusion has been building digital bridges across Sri Lanka—bringing technology, training, and hope to communities left behind.

Here’s what that looks like:

• Community IT centers in rural villages, many led by women.

• Digital literacy programs that cater especially to girls and women.

• STEM awareness campaigns for school children in areas where science and tech were once off-limits.

• Mentorship programs connecting girls to female tech role models.

These aren’t big-budget projects. They’re quiet revolutions powered by a belief: every Sri Lankan child deserves access to the digital future.

We’ve seen girls from Medirigiriya go on to lead coding clubs. We've seen mothers in Batticaloa learn digital tools to support their own small businesses and children's education. We’ve seen transformation when training is made local, gender-sensitive, and ongoing.

But we need more hands, more hearts, and more partners.

Want to Help? Here's How

If this story resonated with you, don’t let it end here. Help us create a future where digital transformation doesn’t leave girls behind.

• Support our Digital Literacy Training Programs for rural youth.

• Partner with us to take STEM and ICT education to the underserved.

• Sponsor a Digital Skills Scholarship for a child in a rural community.

• Or simply spread the word.

Because when we train a child, we don’t just build her / his future—we strengthen their family, her community, and Sri Lanka as a whole. Let’s not wait for perfect conditions. Let’s build better ones—together.

📩 Get involved: www.sarvodayafusion.lk

📬 Email us: nipunika@fusion.lk ; info@fusion.lk

📱 Follow us on social media: @SarvodayaFusion

Let’s close the gap. Let’s open the future for all.

~ Sarvodaya Fusion~ e-Empowering Communities ~