The App MAYA- BANGLADESH ’ S NEW AGE AGONY AUNT
women as they do not have to share their personal details while seeking answers to sensitive questions . Maya is also encouraging women to speak up on topics of violence and abuse . The website allows the user to filter topics by clicking on the apple icon on the right corner of the page which answers health questions , or the heart icon , that deals with the more social issues . “ The nature of our platform is to keep users anonymous — Maya doesn ’ t even ask users for their names . It ’ s not easy to ask for experts advice in developing countries and even when you are ready to ask a question there are barriers ,” says Tamanna .
The VAW ( Violence Against Women ) Survey in Bangladesh shows an increase in domestic violence . The report further states that 87 per cent of the women in the country have claimed some form of abuse but only a third of them report it . “ Hence , for a country like Bangladesh , an anonymous service connecting users to experts where people can anonymously post a message and receive an answer in couple of simple steps , is the need of the hour ,” adds Tamanna Ahmad .
The App
Maya ’ s App which functions similar to the website has helped the team to reach more women in the country and also women of expat Bangladeshi women . The android app was launched in February 2015 and is gaining popularity among women in the country . It has been downloaded more than 80,000 times . “ After partnering with Free Basics of Facebook , our reach has expanded even further . Queries are coming from almost every district now - we want to reach every corner of the country .” says Tamanna . The Android app also has the option of including pictures with a question , or submitting a question through a voice recording . The App and the website are available in Bangla and English .
The future
Maya ’ s focus is not just the tech-savvy women but also those living in rural areas . There are also those who do not have a computer to begin with . Internet for them is a far cry . Maya has teamed up with a few partners providing a platform through their local centers and hubs . Maya has been partnering with BRAC ’ s Gender Justice and Diversity programme , since summer of 2014 . “ They are the ideal partner for us , offering us the financial support we need to build our service . Moreover , they have unrivaled expertise in the development space and offer amazing reach for the service , helping us bridge the digital divide ,” says Tamanna .
You can download the Maya app here and reach the team though facebookand Twitter
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