Microsoft congratulates the following Unlimited Potential (UP) grant recipients. We are proud to support their work.
Australia
Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA)
The ASCCA's mission is to help senior citizens enter the digital age. In response to emerging problems of online safety and security, ASCCA will focus on educating seniors on this topic with programs on "protecting yourself, protecting your PC, protecting your grandchildren" by establishing 10 new ASCCA centers. By the end of 2007 there will be at least 115 ASCCA centers across the country offering the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program. These centers will help the rapidly growing senior population to to remain productive and connected to the community.
The Smith Family (TSF)
The Smith Family is Australia's largest national charity serving families living in financial disadvantage. Focusing on education to create a better future, TSF has incorporated Unlimited Potential training into more than 90 Community Technology Training Centers and will add another 40 CTLCs to an UP outreach program disseminating UP training protocols, software and curricula. The Smith Family will also select 30 of the strongest CTLCs in the network as special training and mentoring centers which will begin to spread and support UP training to other community groups in their area. The Smith Family will also develop a train-the-trainer DVD based on learnings over the past three years participation in the UP program. This standardized training tool will be available to all CTLCs, as well as the wider public. The UP portal, created in 2006, will be promoted through TSF community outreach to become a valuable tool for all community groups.
WorkVentures
WorkVentures Connect CTLCs are now housed within 11 low-income housing estates in the Sydney area, bringing access to technology to thousands of residents. They have also introduced the UP program to 59 additional centers in regional hubs and northern Aboriginal communities. With this latest grant, WorkVentures will add 30 more rural and remote centers to the UP network and an additional 10 Indigenous centers. Using their expertise in employment programs and social enterprise, WorkVentures will develop a "Job Seekers' Handbook" aimed at participants throughout the 200 UP center network. This handbook, along with workshops on social enterprise, will lead to stronger sustainability for all UP CTLCs and improved job prospects for CTLC clients throughout Australia.
Yarnteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Corporation
Australia's Aboriginal communities are highly disadvantaged, but with the help of the nonprofit organization Yarnteen, many of these communities now have access to IT skills training through the Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) program. To address the challenges of geography, education, youth employment, and response to structured training situations, Yarnteen has integrated IT training with real employment and cultural outcomes. Training will be provided to new indigenous learners through 25 new community technology centers (CTCs). Yarnteen's handbook Engaging with Indigenous Learners in ICT Training will be used in Australia's 200 existing UP CTCs and will also be made available through the national UP portal.
Bangladesh
D.Net
D.Net is a Dhaka-based nongovernmental organization that seeks to promote the use of information and communications technology in the development of Bangladesh and its citizens. With the support of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) grant, D.Net will set up 13 rural community technology centers (CTCs). The organization will customize a Bangla version of the UP curriculum for use in its network of centers. The CTCs will also offer information and additional services related to livelihood, health, agriculture, disaster management, and job searching. They will help prepare underprivileged youth for employment as Infomediaries in rural information and knowledge centers. D.Net will also link successful trainees with existing credit-providing institutions for support in starting their own businesses.
China
Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women
Migrant workers and poor communities in China often do not have access to IT training to upgrade their skills. With this Unlimited Potential grant, the Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women will set up two CTLCs – one in Beijing and one on the outskirts of the city --targeting migrant workers, poor rural women and the urban poor. In the next two to three years they will train migrant workers and local farmers, and will reach people in the communities through their centers and curriculum distribution program. The project will be implemented in partnership with local NGOs, farmer groups and local government.
Fuping Development Institute
Fuping Development Institute will establish three rural CTLCs in Shanxi and Sichuan provinces. In the next two to three years it will train migrant workers and local farmers and will reach people in the communities. The target audience consists of farmers and potential migrant workers, as well as local NGOs. The project will provide young farmers or the potential young migrant workers some basic vocational training, market information, community management skills and civic education thus building their overall capacity to participate in the market economy and social change. The project is built on the basis of multi-partnership with the government, local NGOs and farmers groups. An internet platform will also be built to share information and resources between the CTLCs.
PlaNet Finance
Through previous Unlimited Potential grants, international NGO PlaNet Finance has already established nine CTLCs in both rural and urban areas of China and trained over 5,000 migrant workers. Their efforts empower these workers with computer skills so they can be better integrated into the market economy. Attendance in classes also gives each trainee a ready-made network of associates, reducing isolation and vulnerability. With this latest grant, PlaNet Finance will work with local partners to expand their network of CTLCs by opening two more centers -- in Xiamen and Yunnan.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Council of Social Services (HKCSS)
Expanding on the success of the first phase of their UP program last year, the Hong Kong Council of Social Services, an established umbrella NGO, will continue addressing issues related to inter-generational poverty in Hong Kong. Trainings will provide a good springboard for career development for the beneficiaries and it will also benefit their families. Based on lessons from the first phase, CTLCs may also conduct for-fee classes for the general public when UP courses are not in session. These courses not only provide a valuable community service, but also help with the financial sustainability of the centers.
India
Udayan Care
Udayan Care seeks to improve quality of life for disadvantaged people in India, especially women and children, through interventions such as the establishment of children's homes and skill development programs. Since February 2006, with the help of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant, Udayan Care has set up four community technology centers (CTCs) in slum areas in and around Delhi. As part of this new project, Udayan Care will add one more CTC to the network. The focus will be on women in poor urban communities, and the trainees will be linked to the job market through placement services to help improve their economic condition.
Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), India
AKF is a nonprofit international development agency whose mission is to develop and promote creative solutions to problems that impede social development. The Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant will support a project that is part of a larger rural development initiative being implemented by AKF along with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. In partnership with existing farmers' federations and women's self-help groups, AKF will establish 13 community technology centers that will serve more than 250 villages in five drought-prone and tribal districts of Gujarat and one district of Madhya Pradesh. The project will benefit diverse community members, including farmers, unemployed youth, and women.
M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)
Since February 2005, MSSRF has been implementing the first phase of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) project in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Community technology centers (CTCs) are housed in Village Resource Centers (VRCs) and Village Knowledge Centers (VKCs). In this phase of the project, MSSRF will add 30 new CTCs to the existing network of centers for a total of 62 CTCs across four states in India. Customized microenterprise modules and disaster-preparedness modules will be developed, and all modules will be field tested and available as functional literacy modules within three years. The project will further provide livelihood, education, health, and other content to community members through the CTCs.
Datamation Foundation Charitable Trust
In 2005, Datamation Foundation set up 10 community technology centers (CTCs) in the Lucknow-Kanpur corridor in India with the help of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) grant. These CTCs focus on serving poor and semiliterate women in Uttar Pradesh, many of whom produce the traditional chikankari embroidery. ChikanCad software, piloted in the first phase, has shown promising results and will be available in the expansion centers. With this renewed UP funding, Datamation Foundation will increase the number of CTCs to a total of 30 and will continue to provide training in IT skills for underserved women. Placement services will be established to help women find employment, and ICT-enabled livelihood training modules will be deployed to support income generation.
Indonesia
ASEAN Foundation
Indonesia is the largest agrarian-based country in the world, with approximately 40 million Indonesians working in agriculture. To continue its work with the nation's farming communities, the ASEAN Foundation will expand its reach of the Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) program by customizing the Bahasa Indonesia UP curriculum specifically for farmers and related rural workers in Indonesia. After customizing the curriculum and producing training videos, the foundation will distribute copies of the customized curriculum to community technology centers, training centers, universities, and government departments.
Japan
Coalition for Legislation to Support Citizens' Organizations (C's)
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play a critical role in Japan by delivering important social services to communities. With a Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant, the Japanese NPO C's will focus on enhancing the capacity of NPOs that are underserved by technology, enabling them to work more efficiently and effectively. This project is part of a larger NPO capacity-building initiative (NPO-J) being implemented by Microsoft Japan in partnership with C's and other NPOs. NPOs will attend skills training sessions at NPO Days and will receive continued IT support through the portal site developed specifically for their use.
Korea
CareKorea Org
In Korea there is a digital divide between the retired aging population and the rest of society. With continued funding from Microsoft Unlimited Potential, CareKorea will continue its Community Senior Center (CSC) project, which was started in 2006 with Microsoft support. The CSC project uses peer IT instructors to provide IT skills training to senior citizens. By 2010, CareKorea plans to reach more than 40,000 senior citizens. These senior citizens share their IT experience with other senior citizens, thereby contributing to and benefiting from the growth of the digital economy.
Malaysia
National Council of Women’s Organisations (NCWO)
The National Council of Women's Organisations in Malaysia focuses on women's empowerment through skills training and advocacy work. Continuing the IT skills training program they launched last year, NCWO will focus on improving women's ICT skills to provide them with greater job opportunities or help them progress to higher education. Working with Sabah-based NGO partner PEWASA, this year's target audience is women from rural or remote areas and young poor urban women.
Young Women’s Christian Organization (YWCA)
Young Women's Christian Organization will continue the IT skills training work they began under the Unlimited Potential program in 2006. YWCA's target audience is marginalized women - single mothers, senior citizens, indigenous women, and young women. Their main objective is equipping these women with the ICT skills necessary to function and thrive in today's economy. YWCA currently has one active CTLC and will add another five CTLCs over the next two years. Significant new partnerships for 2007 are with Rumah Nur in Kuantan and the Compassionate Link Program Resource Centre in Penang.
Philippines
Kapisanan ng mga Kamag-anak ng Migranteng Mangagawang Pilipino, Inc. (KAKAMMPI)
With a large population of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), the community of Zamboanga, on Mindanao Island, is an ideal location for a Tulay Microsoft Unlimited Potential center. Zamboanga is located in a strategic area on the Island, which needs help in the area of skill building for its residents. In partnership with KAKAMMPI's Mindanao chapter and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, the program aims to train OFWs and their families.
Balikatan Orphanage Movement Foundation International, Inc.
With the large population of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in Milan, Italy, establishing an extension site for the Tulay Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) program in Milan was a logical choice. Most OFWs in Milan can visit their families in the Philippines only after 10 years of service, so they appreciate being able to connect with family by using technology. The training offered through the UP program also helps OFWs improve their skill set so that they can find enhanced employment opportunities. Through the local nongovernmental organization Balikatan Orphanage Movement, OFWs will receive IT skills training and access to technology.
Bicol Center for Community Development, Inc.
The Bicol region is one of the most depressed areas in the Philippines, especially because of recent natural disasters. There are more than 50,000 overseas Filipino worker (OFW) families living in the Bicol region. The Tulay Microsoft Unlimited Potential program, managed by the Bicol Center for Community Development, aims to train OFW dependents and reach other community members in the area, including out-of-school youth.
Pilipinas-OFSPES
Rome is the temporary home to more than 60,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Most of these OFWs are employed as domestic helpers and are separated from their families for more than 10 years at a time while they work in Italy. The Tulay Microsoft Unlimited Potential program will give these workers the opportunity to learn IT skills that can help them find better jobs, provide the chance to start their own entrepreneurial ventures when they return home, and connect them with their families.
Singapore
Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD)
In Singapore about 150,000 people live with disabilities and face the challenge of living independently and remaining integrated in society. The number is expected to grow as Singapore's population ages. SPD is a local nonprofit that, with a Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant, will provide three levels of IT skills training to equip people with disabilities with IT literacy, which will help them stay connected with the mainstream community and improve their job prospects. SPD also plans to scale their center into a regional train-the-trainer center where they can share their expertise with nonprofits across the Asia Pacific region.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Anti Narcotics Association (SLANA)
Sri Lanka's migrant population is estimated at 1.5 million. With so many Sri Lankans living and working abroad, the effect on families that remain in Sri Lanka is tremendous. In cooperation with the Foreign Employment Bureau, local nonprofit SLANA will provide Sri Lankan workers headed overseas with IT skills training to boost their economic, political, and social empowerment. The Bank of Ceylon and ICTA are also partners in project. Lessons from the Microsoft Unlimited Potential experience with Filipino overseas foreign workers will be shared and incorporated in the development of this new initiative in Sri Lanka.
Taiwan
Electronic Commerce Business Association (ECBA)
In this third phase of Women UP in Taiwan, local nonprofit ECBA, with support from a Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant, will work through an islandwide network of Digital Opportunity Centers (DOCs) to provide IT skills training to women who have been underserved by technology. By providing training in IT skills, ECBA will demonstrate the role that IT can play in the lives of these women and will help them build their confidence . Using a train-the-trainer model, ECBA will recruit more than 800 volunteers across Taiwan who will then offer IT skills classes at their local DOCs to women in the surrounding communities. This project will be implemented with the support of government, local computer associations, and volunteer management associations in Taiwan.
Thailand
Duang Prateep Foundation
Access to technology is limited in Thailand, and many people still lack ICT skills, whether they live in rural areas or in the poorer communities of Thailand's major cities. The Duang Prateep Foundation is an internationally recognized Thai charitable organization that works with poor and underprivileged people. With the support of a Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant, the foundation is running a community technology center at its headquarters in the Klong Toey district of Bangkok. With this additional funding, the foundation will work closely with five community centers in Bangkok to provide access to ICT and training in computer skills to underserved people in those communities. The ICT skills will give the trainees better job opportunities, strengthen family relationships, and bridge the digital divide between generations.
Vietnam
Center for Research and Consulting on Management (CRC)
The CRC will use funding from this Microsoft Unlimited Potential grant to support its goals of improving the skills of IT teachers and creating self-sustaining community technology centers (CTCs) by providing computer equipment, teacher training, and economic and operational models customized to local needs. The organization strives to bridge the digital divide by providing training in basic office and Web skills. In addition, the CRC assists prospective university students in fulfilling prerequisites for entering nationwide e-learning programs in Vietnam.
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