Women's voices from the field
These quotes are actual examples of what women said about these barriers and drivers.
Affordability
Urban Kenya
Kikuyu
I use data worth ten shillings, when I want to talk to people or use WhatsApp.
Urban N. Nigeria
Hausa
Yes, I once purchased a phone on loan, even this phone that I am currently using I have not finished paying for it.
Urban Senegal
Wolof
Often, I buy the monthly plan for 2000 F. I do not buy a more expensive plan because I do not have money. May God be my witness. I simply make do with what I have. I usually buy the monthly plan for 2000 F, but it almost never lasts the whole month, because I often use my data. If the plan is exhausted and I have money, I buy the one for a week. Otherwise, if I do not have money, I wait until I can buy it.
Discountinuities
Urban Kenya
Swahili
Keep your passwords. Keep it a secret and don't tell anyone.
Urban Kenya
Luo
It's that Tiktok Lite, Facebook Lite, your account and game apps, you use a little data to open the game itself then you turn off data and play offline, but to open the game itself you must use a little data to open it, put that advertisement, put your information like name, your name, your gender then turn off data, you just play offline those games […].
Rural N. Nigeria
Hausa
Amina can protect herself byblocking all the phone numbers herex-boyfriend uses to call her.
Gender Norms
Rural Kenya
Swahili
My opinion is that it is not right to use the partner's phone. She should have found a small phone and bought it because a phone is important.
Rural Kenya
Swahili
Most of the time men think they're the ones who need the phone, we women often stay at home and they say ah Now your job doesn't require a phone, but we also need a phone. If I were Wambui, I'd buy a cell phone. And if I didn't have the money for the cell phone, I would push my husband because he has a job, to buy his own phone.”
Lagos, Nigeria
Yoruba
Bisi's dad shouldn't have collected his wife's phone. He has actually intruded into his wife's privacy on the phone and it is not supposed to be so.
Health
Urban Kenya
Swahili
Sexually transmitted diseases that have emerged, sexually transmitted diseases that have emerged and how you treat them, diseases, diseases that are near me or that have occurred and how to protect yourself.
Rural Kenya
Kikuyu
If I had such a phone that is compatible with the use of the internet, I would like to know more about the people who ail from diabetes, blood pressure, and other diseases. I would also like to know about healthy eating habits since I live with my mother and her condition of diabetes is normally balanced majorly by how she feeds. Therefore if I had such a phone, I would search the internet and know about the diet thus I will be aware of what to feed her so that she can stop experiencing pain in her body.
Rural Kenya
Kikuyu
I would go to the hospital and listen to what the doctor tells me then I search on the internet and read to confirm if the information is similar with what the doctor told me.
Lagos, Nigeria
Language?
Concerning health I do check on the causes of ill-health, Cure and prevention of illness like malaria likewise the kind of food that will be beneficial to our health.
Urban Nigeria
Hausa
Sometimes the questions I ask is to know what are the reasons for a particular symptoms that I observed, like frequent headache which might be stress sometimes which only needs rest and not medicine.
Lagos, Nigeria
Language?
I receive health Information on Google and Chrome, to direct me on the right drugs to buy when I and my children are not feeling fine and I don't have enough money to go to the hospital, once I use them, we bounce back to health.
Lagos, Nigeria
Language?
I browse about my health online, or probably If there Is a drug that I bought and I want to find out more about the drugs and dosage, or to find out a prescribed drugs, or If I notice any form of ailment, I Google to find out about how we can manage the ailment so it won't escalate to what will cost us more money.
Urban Senegal
Wolof
Checking your health status on your phone is very important because it allows you to discover yourself as a woman. As a woman, the questions we ask on the internet allow us to get to know ourselves better and to understand the health challenges we go through. Truly, being able to learn about our health through our phones is very important.
Rural Senegal
Wolof
Yes, it’s useful; it allows me to look up health information and see where I stand.
Relevance
N. Nigeria
Hausa
I will like to learn English language and how to use it to translate words from Hausa, tailoring and cake making also.
Rural Senegal
Pulaar
I watch videos of movies and religious debates. I download them via TikTok.
Safety
Rural Kenya
Swahili
She should not share it with others because when you like someone else, that's when they have to bully me. It's safer if she keeps it to herself. I keep it to myself and use everything myself.
Rural Kenya
Swahili
The only advice I can give is that the Internet is very fake. not reliable Not everyone can trust the Internet from Facebook Too many people are liars on this network. And that's why it leads to so many young people being harmed by the Internet. You get someone involved in a crime. kills another for no reason has seen the thing on the internet or has seen it on television; these films are seen by many young people [...]
Rural N. Nigeria
Hausa
What Amina is supposed to do to protect herself is make sure she has a password so that no everyone can get to her and not give her password to anyone.
Skills and Learning
Urban Kenya
Swahili
I feel ashamed to ask for help.
Rural Kenya
Kikuyu
You may feel ashamed since when you ask, people perceive you as being illiterate therefore I try my level best to use my phone and carry out all the functions required of me without asking.
Lagos, Nigeria
Yoruba
Yes, i’m happy to learn something and truly understand it than asking for help from people. However, if i don't end up succeeding, i will have to ask people.
Lagos, Nigeria
Yoruba
When I try it and don't understand it, then I will pick my phone and call my sibling and I will say please explain it to me and they will explain to me and if I try it and I still don't understand it, I will call again and say please can you explain it once again. Because I can only know it by learning.