Country: Brazil
Organization: COMITı PARA DEMOCRATIZAııO DA INFORMıTICA de BRASI
3) Strategy Summary:
The CDI-DF is a no-profit non-governmental organization
established in Brasilia in 1999, in partnership with the
CDI-Matrix in Rio de Janeiro, to carry out the pioneering
work of promoting social inclusion of disadvantaged
communities of the "Distrito Federal" and surroundings by
using ICT as a tool for building and allowing citizenship.
The principal products of the CDI-DF are the Information
Technology and Citizenship Schools - ITCSs. In this
informal educational spaces, created in collaboration with
the local community or associations, the community carries
out the own educational project. Besides giving computers
and software, the CDI-DF forms people belonging to the
community to become coordinators and tutors of the ITCS.
4) How the Strategy Works:
The CDI operates in low-income communities, in partnership
with local institution that deal with people exposed to
social risks or carrying specific needs. Dominating new
technologies not only opens to new employment and income
opportunities, it also gives access to new sources of
information and social spaces, contributing to
transforming
life styles and progress of the communities.
The principal products of the CDI-DF are the Information
Technology and Citizenship Schools - ITCSs. In this
informal educational spaces, created in collaboration with
the local community or associations, the community carries
out the own educational project. For the creation of a
ITCS, the CDI-DF offers for free computers, software,
continuous training of coordinators and tutors of the
community on pedagogical strategies, and technical
maintenance of equipment.
The political and pedagogical program designed by the CDI
in collaboration with the "N cleo de Inform tica
Aplicada
Educa o" of the University of Campinas, S o Paulo, is
based on pedagogical concepts and values defined in the
Paulo Freire`s doctrine of education for awareness and
social transformation. Such program is aimed to divulge,
together with the communities involved, the technical
teaching of Information Technology tools through the
debate
of themes inherent to the specific reality.
From the operating point of view, as ITCSs must be managed
and maintained by the community. The proposed model for
self-sufficiency suggests that each student contributes
with a symbolic fee varying from R$ 10 to 15. The money
collected is used to partially cover the costs for tutors
and maintenance of the ITCS. Besides contributing to the
self-sufficiency, the fee has the pedagogical function of
giving value to the work involved.
Periodical meeting with coordinators and tutors of the
ITCSs allow monitoring the development of the initiative,
identifying needs, difficulties, and facilitating the
exchange of experiences.
Each ITCS serves weekly 10 classes, on average, and each
class is composed of 10 students, two for each computer.
The total duration of the course is 80 hours in 3 months,
with a minimum of 3 hours of lesson per week. Each school
can train up to 400 students on yearly basis; this means
that the current network of 50 schools has the potential
of
forming up to 20000 students yearly.
RESULTS
Since its establishment, CDI-DF created 70 schools. For
various reasons, mainly financial sustainability, 20 of
schools shut down and will be reactivated upon solution of
financial problems. Thus, the CDI-DF currently manages a
network of 50 ITCSs, 38 of which are located in Brasilia
and satellite towns, and 12 in the neighboring states
(Minas Gerais and Goi s).
Such figures demonstrate the successful replication of the
training and management system proposed by the CDI-DF,
adaptable to a variety of public through a pedagogical
methodology that allows trainees to learn to use the
computer using it for their own projects, as a tool for
debate, research, communication, and development of local
actions. The pedagogical action is not merely aimed to
form
computer operators, yet it stimulates the trainees to be
subjects of an evolution, entrepreneurs - persons which
become aware of being able to think, debate, investigate
and act in their specific context - being this, in CDI-DF
opinion, the true meaning of the word "citizenship".
In order to better know the opinion of the public target
regarding the work carried out in the ITCSs, the CDI-DF
together with the coordinators, realized an opinion survey
during the last meeting of the ITCSs whose results show
that the students:
- Believe that the courses contributed for positive
changes
in their lives ;
- Declare that the courses meet their expectations;
- Would like to continue the courses;
- Obtain a employment, a career advance or a change of
activity, if already employed;
- Increase their self-confidence;
- Increase the family income.
The table below shows the increment of the number of
schools of Information Technology and Citizenship - ITCSs
managed by CDI-DF and its main results.
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
ITCSs 3 18 12 12 22 3
Students 69 1.560 2.965 3.236 7.618 6.832
Cumulative 69 1.629 4.594 7.830 15.487 22.319
n. of students
Certified 57 594 1.960 1.716 3.328 5.849
students
Tutors 4 33 49 79 105 100
Computers 15 106 151 251 470 460
5) Key Strategy Elements:
i. Mobilizing Citizen Support:
The CDI-DF emphasizes that the people of the own community
shall be responsible for carrying out the educational
program and manage the ITCS. Coordinators and tutors of
the
ITCSs must actively participate to the entire process,
from
planning to daily administration of the new school. The
involvement of the interested population since the start-
up
promotes an integrated environment in which the ITCS
becomes a space for collective construction of knowledge,
accepted by the community as a site created by them, for
them.
Currently, CDI-DF is supporting 50 ITCSs of the Distrito
Federal, Minas Gerais and Goias where the educational
program is carried out with the collaboration of 50 school
coordinators and 100 tutors, members of the communities.
ii. Generating Financial and Nonfinancial Resources:
Regarding the gathering of financial resources, CDI-DF is
supported by international organizations and governmental
institutions, private companies and private donors. In the
year 2004 the amount of financial contributions was of R$
137,000.
Regarding the collection of equipment, CDI-DF has obtained
so far more than 500 computers, several printers and
networking equipment from institutions and private donors.
A symbolic monthly fee of R$ 10,00 is collected to
guarantee the sustainability of the ITCSs and raise the
awareness of the student regarding the value of the
course.
The income is used to cover operational costs such as
electricity, stationery, printer cartridges, as well as
the
salary for the tutors.
iii. Establishing Relationships with Strategic Partnerships:
CDI-DF has several strategic partnerships with:
- Microsoft that donates original software licenses for
each implanted ITCS;
- Brasil Telecom, that supports the institutional
strengthening.
- Federal University of Brasilia, through the "Empresa
Junior de Computacao" that designed and maintains the
institutional Internet site.
- POLITEC, that besides the financial support provides
the
experience of an Institutional Director.
- UNITRABALHO (Federal University of Brasilia) that
supports the training of the tutors.
- Funda ao Banco do Brasil, that supports the
strengthening
of the training centers.
- Camara dos Deputados of the Federal Government, that
hosts and supports a school for workers with low-income.
iv. Engaging and Managing Volunteers:
Volunteers are mostly recruited after spontaneous
candidature after knowing the work of CDI-DF from the
Internet site and word of mouth. Most of the volunteers
work locally in the ITCS, supporting the management and
educational program of the schools.
Volunteers get acquainted with the work of CDI through
meetings and, if interested, offer their availability to
support the institutional or field work, according to
qualifications and interests.
v. Developing Information and Spreading the Message:
CDI-DF maintains an Internet site (http://www.cdi-
df.org.br) that is aimed to provide information regarding
the statute, the network of shools, the partners and the
staff of the organization.
Some printed brochures are available for distribution in
case of events or during meetings and contacts with
potential volunteers and partners.
help.
6) Increasing Self-sufficiency and Social Impact:
The CDI-DF is continuously focused on broadening the
number of partners in order to collect resources to
increase the number of school and the attendance of the
training classes, as well as the quality of the service.
If the social impact is somehow proportional to the
availability of resources, both human and financial, its
optimal use has to be always pursued. The proposed
management and pedagogical model appears to be efficient
in involving all stakeholders: community, students,
volunteers and donors. The improvement process never ends,
and CDI-DF is constantly evaluating the impact of its
effort and revising the process in order to attain good
results.
8) Organization Mission and Vision:
Promotion of digital inclusion is today a big challenge
for Brazil, and in this framework CD-DF is engaged in
promoting the entrepreneurial acquisition of ICT
competence for low- income communities as a powerful
instrument for social and economical development.
Looking Forward to the Next Three Years:
In order to improve the results of its actions, the CDI-DF
defined its principal objectives for the next years:
A. Improving the quality:
- Increase the number of training courses, meetings and
support visits to ITCS;
- Continuously improve the Political and Pedagogical
Program;
B. Improving the Management and Control System;
C. Connect to Internet the greatest possible number of
ITCSs;
D. Establish partnerships with other entities in order to
promote the fund-raising for CDI-DF.
Contact Information:
Vera Maria Valente Carneiro
COMITı PARA DEMOCRATIZAııO DA INFORMıTICA de BRASI
SCLN 201 Bloco B Loja 43, Brasılia - DF
Brazil
Tel: + 55 61 326 3976
Fax: + 55 61 425 2583
Email: diretoria@cdi-df.org.br
Website: http://www.cdi-df.org.br
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