Project Description
In Information Technology and Citizenship Schools, Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI) trains community agents in computer and Internet skills through intensive three-month course modules. These students are in turn encouraged to teach others back in their marginalised communities. Within this scheme, technology can represent a form of social and economic inclusion. The knowledge of its use contributes to giving disadvantaged individuals a professional profile and opens up a wide variety of new sources of information and social opportunities for the community itself.

Project Objectives
To promote the social inclusion of excluded segments of society by using information and communication technologies as tools for building and exercising citizens rights. It seeks to assist them in mastering new technologies and providing them with access to better work and income opportunities, as well as new information sources and social spheres

Intended Beneficiaries
Low-income communities, and special need individuals (such as the visually impaired, psychiatric patients, homeless children, prostitutes, prisoners, indigenous people, etc) of the recipient community.

Partners Involved
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology contacts community organizations and/or non-governmental organizations to form partnerships for the creation of EICs. CDI sources for the computer equipment and organize fund raising campaigns to implement projects. CDI also provide technical, educational and methodological support to the EICs, including the training of future instructors. Before obtaining a CDI social franchise, communities must demonstrate clear commitment to the organization's principles and agree to uphold standards. CDI then provides hardware, software and technical assistance, and trains locals to manage the schools, teach IT and citizenship classes and train new instructors, maintain equipment and raise funding through small student fees. CDI also provides curriculum aids, so that technical and Internet skills are used not only to increase job opportunities for poor youth, but to broaden their knowledge and interest in solving community problems.

Impact: Costs and Benefits
EICs are financially self-sustainable (through monthly fees) or financed (funded by partner institutions), and they are managed by the community that has implemented it. The self-sustainable EICs sets a symbolic monthly fee that not only has the pedagogical function of valuing their work, but also allows them to maintain and pay their educators. The students, who cannot pay even the symbolic monthly fee, are not prevented from studying but they help some other way, e.g. by contributing to the school chores.

Usually, community organizations provide the location and help to manage the centers. Community groups also select teachers, usually from the community itself (with commitment to the community a higher prerequisite than advanced computer skills). Computers and software are solicited from Brazil's private sector, with companies such as Microsoft among the strong supporters. CDI provides training to the teachers and follow-up. A university (UNICAMP) has assisted with curriculum development.

CDI enlisted Xerox, Swiss cosmetics giant Avina and the World Bank as CDI's partners. The Brazilian government development bank BNDES provided $425,000 in 2000. Bill Gates has given $4.5 million worth of Microsoft software. In 1999 Baggio signed a deal with IBM, to donate obsolete computers that it would otherwise discard

Enablers
Strong social commitment by the communities and the private sector to assist the children in the slums. Centers are run by volunteers. Within the first year, the concept was replicated in 10 cities.

Lesson Learned

Capacity Building. The project emphasised that it wasn't essential to have Internet access (only 20% of the centers have access) but rather the human and social possibilities that can be enhanced from use of computers. They have set themselves the task of promoting power among the most marginalized sectors of society, whether due to poverty or additional types of social inclusion.

Partnerships. Project members have developed proactive and sustainable partnerships, both with the grassroots organizations that are based in and know the communities, and also with the private sector businesses that can help provide funding.

Curriculum Design. They have a well-elaborated curriculum integrating both social content and IT that is flexible enough to be adapted in appropriate ways according to local circumstances. Apart from emphasizing the applicability of computers in vocational training classes, the students are also encouraged to think critically about their community problems and to exercise notions of Civil Rights.

Constraints/Challenges

Internet Access
CDI schools are not (yet) Internet access centers. About 20% of CDI schools have Internet access, though the plan is to increase that in the future. Instead, CDI is emphasizing computer training, based on the needs and concerns of particular communities.

Resources
Dependant on the interest and continuous support of the participants and funding for the computers.

Technical and Educational Support
It is important that the donor organization has:

• An experienced person knowledgeable of community organizations' work and/or non-governmental organizations to form partnerships.
• A software and hardware technician to set-up and install donated computers.
• A person with pedagogic background with experience in information technology who can train future EIC instructors.
• A person to organize equipment donation campaigns and to contact local businesses and institutions.

Sustainability Factors
Today there are 346 schools in 30 different cities, across 19 Brazilian States and 33 schools in Colombia, Mexico, Chile, Uruguay and Japan. The schools are self-sustainable and self-administered from the start. The concept of an open "social franchise" has been adopted by other countries facing similar social conditions. The successful model of CDI Brazil has led to the establishment of an initiative called CDI Americas, formed by the Inter-American Development Bank, Starmedia Foundation, and Microsoft Corporation, which now has already opened offices in Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay and seeks to expand activities to other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

They have also implemented Information Technology and Citizens Rights Schools in penitentiaries and psychiatric institutes, as well as for the hearing impaired, young criminals institutions, Indian villages, and others. The CDI school has been integrated into overall community development programs and helps serve the needs of the broader community. Participants in the CDI program are drawn from the other vocational training programs. In 2002, CDI received the "UNESCO 2002 Award", in the Comunication and Information category , for its pioneerism in promote social inclusion by using information technology.

Recommendations

The implementation of an EIC, however, is not sufficient to guarantee its sustainability. CDI requires regional offices to successfully establish a local project of democratization of information technology. The staff of this office should include professionals who can:

Contact organizations and community associations, coordinate the work of volunteers; run the office administration and book-keeping; contact local businesses; organize fundraising and computer donation campaigns, including advertising in local newspapers.
Maintain and repair computers; obtain and install software; install Internet connectivity.
Train instructors, analyse projects for the creation of schools, seek support for copying didatic material to be distributed in schools; help in the general operation of the office.

Further Information (Anecdotes)

"The computer is more than a machine, it's a tool that can turn poor and underprivileged people into true citizens". Rodrigo Baggio, Founder (Time)

"The First World's technological junk is treasure for us" Rodrigo Baggio, Founder (Time)

"This is not just another new school or a computer clinic This is an idea that can change the way we think about the digital divide ", William Drayton, director of Ashoka, a Virginia-based foundation dedicated to backing social entrepreneurs. (Time)

Dona Detinha left school in thc third grade to work as a housemaid. When she enrolled at the school, she was illiterate. The mouse and the world of screen icons were baffling, but sitting in front of the computer she eventually learned to read and write. Now she uses an ancient 386 computers at home to print greeting cards and fliers for her business - making sweets for parties of rich Rio residents. On a good month she pulls in about $300, twice the minimum wage. (Time)

Project or Related URLs:

http://www.cdi.org.br/

Further Reading:

Committee for Democracy in Information Technology
http://projects.takingitglobal.org/cdibrazil

Time, 05 / 02 / 2001 by Por Rodrigo Baggio
Newsweek, 19 / 02 / 2001 by By Mac Margolis