Microsoft congratulates the following Unlimited Potential (UP) grant recipients. We are proud to support their work.
Regional
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
CDI is an NGO that fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by promoting the use of information and communication technology in low-income communities. Through its Information Technology and Citizens Rights Schools, CDI partners with community-based organizations to train local educators, who in turn provide IT training to underserved communities, such as individuals with disabilities, homeless children, and indigenous populations. Since 1999, funding from Microsoft has helped CDI expand its Latin American presence to more than 960 schools in 11 countries and provide training to more than 600,000 individuals.
The FY06 funding will be used to improve operations and infrastructure—including trainings, meetings, implementation, assessment, and equipment—at CDI's headquarters, which supports the 48 regional centers responsible for executing the training model and managing the Information Technology and Citizens Rights Schools. CDI expects to reach more than 150,000 individuals throughout the Americas as a result of this grant.
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Argentina
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
CDI is an NGO that fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by promoting the use of information and communication technology in low-income communities. In FY04, Microsoft funding helped CDI successfully complete the first phase of a multiyear project by creating 40 new CTCs throughout the country; those CTCs provided training to more than 2,000 people. During FY05, Microsoft funded an additional 30 centers. The FY06 grant will continue this expansion by funding 20 more CTCs and two regional offices that will enable CDI to manage its local centers more efficiently and effectively. CDI expects to train 1,800 individuals annually as a result of this donation.
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Bolivia
Hogar de Niños Alalay
Hogar de Niños Alalay is a nonprofit organization that provides human, social, and education services to at-risk youth in Bolivia. Many of these youth live on the streets, have dropped out of school, or suffer from drug addictions. The purpose of this project, Kidink, is to offer technology training to youth and teenagers just outside the city of Santa Cruz in the community of El Torno. With the help of Microsoft funding, Alalay will establish a new community technology center (CTC) where youth will attain practical IT skills that supplement their education. At the same time, they will enroll in workshops that foster personal growth and promote active citizenship. This project aims to reach over 300 individuals in its first year.
Brazil
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology is a nongovernmental organization that aims to foster social inclusion by promoting the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in low-income communities as a tool to encourage active citizenship. Through its Information Technology and Citizens Rights Schools (ITCRS), CDI partners with community-based organizations to train local educators who, in turn, provide IT training to various underserved communities, including individuals with disabilities, homeless children, and indigenous populations. The main objective of this project is to strengthen CDI's network of 54 IT and Citizens Rights Schools throughout the state of Sao Paulo. With the help of Microsoft funding, CDI will provide advanced media and communications training to its technology instructors so that they can teach community members how to develop Web sites, create e-newsletters, and produce videos. The goal is to promote active citizenship and community engagement. Courses will also offer advanced training in word processing, spreadsheets, and database management. In addition, CDI will offer youth workshops on repairing, refurbishing, and selling old computers. CDI expects to train over 1,200 individuals in its first year.
Instituto Ayrton Senna (IAS)
IAS is a nonprofit organization that seeks to create educational opportunities for people of all ages to develop their potential and prepare for success in the twenty-first century. This project, part of a multiyear grant made in FY05, has established five CTCs in disadvantaged communities throughout Brazil. The CTCs, with 15 personal computers each, promote citizenship and social development through the use of new information and communication technology. FY06 funding will help ensure the sustainability of this project, which will benefit about 21,000 individuals annually.
Instituto Crescer para Cidadania
Instituto Crescer para Cidadania is a Brazilian nonprofit organization that develops social responsibility programs for companies and institutions. Microsoft, through its Partners in Learning (PIL) program, first partnered with Instituto Crescer in FY04 to localize the student content of the UP curriculum into Portuguese. In FY05, Microsoft UP and PIL jointly funded Instituto Crescer in the printing and distribution of the UP curriculum and adaptation of a critical online tool. The FY06 funding will be used to complete the project by localizing the curriculum's online and printed instructor section for eight courses (Internet, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Web Design, Computer Fundamentals, and Digital Media). One thousand compact discs and booklets will be printed for the use of NGOs, schools, and governments throughout Brazil. The Portuguese-language curriculum is expected to reach more than 1 million people by 2010.
Oxigenio
Oxigenio is a nonprofit organization that promotes social inclusion among underserved and disadvantaged communities through the use of information and communication technology as tools for building and exercising social responsibility. Through an agreement with the Brazilian Ministry of Labor, Microsoft has partnered with Oxigenio to carry out the objectives of the federal government's First Job program, in which 24 NGOs will equip underserved youth with the IT skills necessary to find employment. Funding from Microsoft will be used to train the Oxigenio personnel conducting the program, as well as to train IT instructors from the 24 NGOs, which together administer more than 1,300 CTCs throughout Brazil. Over the next three years, the Ministry of Labor and Oxigenio expect to prepare more than 640,000 individuals for employment, and Oxigenio will provide direct training to more than 3,000 underserved individuals.
Federaçao das Enditades Assistenciais de Campinas (FEAC)
For the past 40 years, FEAC, a federation of social organizations, has been providing social assistance to underserved individuals. The institutions affiliated with FEAC work together in areas such as education, special needs care, AIDS prevention, and mental health to serve people ranging from at-risk adolescents to senior citizens.
Microsoft UP funding will support instructor training for the Jovem.com project, a network of initiatives focused on digital inclusion. The project targets underserved youth with educational and cultural workshops, IT courses, and other activities that offer both a creative outlet and a means to acquire marketable skills. This initiative will support 50 CTCs and is expected to better prepare more than 500 youth for the work force in its first year and to reach 2,500 young people over three years. The local government of Campinas, through the Secretary of Social Development, is the project's primary sponsor, approving a $1 million budget for the program over the next three years.
Instituto Efort
Instituto Efort is a nonprofit organization that promotes social inclusion and education through the use of information and communication technology, with special focus on people with disabilities. This project, which also receives financial support from the City of São Paulo, will help people with disabilities acquire the IT skills necessary to find employment. In addition, Instituto Efort will offer vocational guidance and income-generation workshops to people who complete this training. In the next year, Microsoft UP funding will support six CTCs and help reach more than 50,000 people, including those with disabilities and members of the community at large.
Chile
Fundación Chile
Fundación Chile's mission is to introduce innovation and develop human capital in key clusters of the Chilean economy through technology management. Working in alliance with local and global knowledge networks, Fundación Chile advances this mission by creating innovative enterprises; developing, adapting, and selling technologies; fostering institutional innovation; and capturing and disseminating technologies to multiple users through seminars, specialized magazines, and project assistance.
Fundación Chile will use Microsoft UP funding for FY06 to develop a training program in which underserved young adults (ages 18 to 29) can receive Digital License, or ICDL, certification, which will increase their employment opportunities. Fundación Chile expects to train 20,000 young adults in the first year and more than 100,000 after three years. To reach these goals, Microsoft Chile has engaged Fundación Chile as the project manager for this initiative, and Fundación Chile will in turn seek out and evaluate nongovernmental partners that can provide IT courses and prepare the participants for certification.
Colombia
Corporación Para el Desarrollo y Paz del Valle (VallenPaz)
Created in 2000, VallenPaz is a collective and democratic space for social investment and productive projects in rural zones that are within the armed conflict in the departments of Valle del Cauca and Cauca. VallenPaz contributes to the achievement of peace through the economic and social reactivation of the Colombian countryside. Microsoft first donated US$55,000 in 2004 to establish two CTCs located in the jurisdiction of El Saladito, municipality of Cali, and in the trail Monterredondo, municipality of Miranda. This FY06 H2 donation will enable VallenPaz to open six new CTCs in six different rural areas. These CTCs will support farmers and rural microenterprises, offering training in technological tools to strengthen their business vision, improve their competitiveness, and increase productivity. VallenPaz expects to train an additional 1,000 individuals after one year.
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
CDI is an NGO that fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by promoting the use of information and communication technology in low-income communities. The objective of this new CDI project is to provide IT training to underserved youth who are unemployed or not in school. The FY06 funding will be used to establish two IT centers in the districts of El Paraiso and Cazuca in Bogota. It is expected that these centers will reach more than 300 individuals after one year and nearly 1,300 in three years. In addition to offering courses that will improve the students' employment opportunities, the centers will focus on teaching students how they can use information technology to solve problems in their own communities.
Costa Rica
Vision Mundial
Vision Mundial is a relief and development organization dedicated to helping children and their communities reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. In FY04, Microsoft UP funding supported the development of three CTCs in northern Costa Rica that annually reach more than 3,000 people who otherwise would not have access to technology training. The FY06 grant will help Vision Mundial establish new CTCs in San Jose de Upala and Los Chillos, two of Costa Rica's least developed areas. Funding will be used to train instructors and to establish a capacity-building sponsorship program in which the monthly contributions of sponsors will support young people in their acquisition of technological skills. Vision Mundial expects to reach 600 individuals in the program's first year and nearly 2,200 over the next three years.
Dominican Republic
Esperanza International, Inc.
The mission of Esperanza International is to free children and their families from poverty through initiatives that generate income, education, and health and that restore self-worth and dignity to those who have lost hope. Esperanza focuses on three activities: microenterprise development (MED), community development, and environmental health. Microsoft funding will help Esperanza establish five CTCs that will focus on education and MED. The education component, which will be open to all neighboring schools in the five semi-urban communities, is expected to train 400 students in its first year and 1,800 after three years. The MED component will help small-business operators acquire IT skills to manage, improve, and expand their businesses. The CTCs will also be open to the community at large, offering basic IT courses taught by CTC graduates.
Ecuador
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
El Salvador
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Guatemala
Cooperative for Education (COED)
COED is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty in rural Guatemala through the creation of self-sustaining textbook, library, and computer center projects in impoverished community schools. It strives to improve both traditional and technological literacy and lay the cornerstones for greater economic development and empowerment. Microsoft UP funding for FY06 will be leveraged with matching contributions from Rotary International and the Mathile Family Foundation to establish six school-based CTCs. The funding will be used to purchase computers, monitors, networking equipment, and furniture, and for training and set-up costs. The CTCs, which will provide technology access to indigenous Mayan communities in Guatemala's Western Highlands, will be used principally by students during the day and will be available to community members on evenings and weekends. COED expects to reach 3,100 students and community members in the first year of operation.
Honduras
OAS/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS. The Trust mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina. Microsoft's donation will fund an additional 11 CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. The Trust will continue to work with local partners and OAS country offices to educate local business and government representatives about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities. The Trust and local partners will secure job placements for program participants. This program expects to train almost 5,000 individuals in 2006, focusing on those with physical and mental disabilities. It will also offer training to the community at large. This FY06 H2 donation marks the first POETA center in Honduras and the twelfth new POETA center in FY06.
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Mexico
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
CDI is an NGO that fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by promoting the use of information and communication technology in low-income communities. In 2004, Microsoft UP partnered with CDI Mexico to launch a new program, Basic IT Skills for the Unemployed, which included establishing 12 CTCs. Last year, Microsoft funded an initiative in the community of Tlalpan, one of the poorest districts in Mexico City, to promote digital inclusion by providing IT training to underserved residents. In that effort, CDI and the district government partnered to develop 20 CTCs. The FY06 grant from Microsoft will be used to strengthen CDI Mexico's operations in and around Mexico City, as well as in the state of Oaxaca. Activities will include hiring consultants to coordinate those two regions and implementing a new CTC to train instructors, maintain equipment, conduct recycling workshops, and provide technical service to NGOs. CDI expects to train 25,000 individuals annually as a result of this grant.
Fundacion Merced
Fundacion Merced is an NGO that promotes human development and the alleviation of poverty among children and youth by supporting institutions that improve their quality of life. In 2002, Fundacion Merced launched the Fortaleza program, which aims to build the professional capacities of NGOs in the Mexico City metropolitan area to ensure their institutional strength and improve their performance. In FY06, Fundacion Merced will use Microsoft UP funding to support the Fortaleza program, placing special emphasis on helping Mexican NGOs adopt technology to enhance their productivity, efficiency, and management. The organization expects to reach more than 450 individuals in at least 17 NGOs during the first year.
Instituto Mexicano de la Juventud (IMJ)
The IMJ develops strategies and programs to help Mexican youth become resources to their communities and their country. The IMJ's Centros Interactivos Poder Joven program offers integrated spaces where youth can access new technologies and information. The network serves 114 centers in 29 states. Microsoft first funded this initiative in FY04 with a grant to establish 10 CTCs that have since trained more than 5,000 individuals. In FY05, Microsoft UP funding supported the establishment of 10 additional CTCs. The FY06 grant will support training for instructors in 20 centers. IMJ expects to train 30,000 individuals annually through its CTC network.
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Union de Empresarios para la Tecnologia en la Educacion (UNETE)
UNETE is an NGO with the primary goal of providing basic IT infrastructure, including computers and access to the Internet and educational TV, to public primary and secondary schools throughout Mexico. In 2000, Microsoft Mexico and UNETE launched the Aula Movil (Mobile Classroom) initiative, which provides technology access and IT training in rural and remote communities via a bus that is fully equipped with modern information technology. Continued funding in FY06 will support a second mobile learning center, reaching 7,500 individuals after one year.
Panama
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
Peru
VIDA Peru
VIDA (Volunteers for Inter-American Development Assistance) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to achieve human and economic development through sustainable strategies. A member of Red YES (Youth Employment Summit), an international campaign to train young people for employment, VIDA will establish a CTC in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho in Lima. The center will help young people better respond to the demands of globalization by preparing them for the work force through training in IT skills, including Office, e-business, and e-trade. VIDA expects to train 750 young people during the first year and will place particular focus on training female leaders of local community organizations.
Puerto Rico
Aspira
Aspira seeks to bridge the educational gap between disadvantaged Puerto Rican youth and the rest of the population. Past programs include the successful development and implementation of Head Start centers and youth leadership, technology skills, and mentoring programs. Prior Microsoft UP funding helped to establish six CTCs in low-income and technologically underserved communities through a joint venture with Puerto Rico's own Special Communities program. FY06 funding from Microsoft will be used to further strengthen CTCs in Mayagez, Carolina, and Ponce. These CTCs will deliver supplementary educational services to improve the academic achievement and IT skills of 1,500 students in grades 7 through 12, as well as 1,200 community members. Aspira expects to reach nearly 2,300 individuals annually through these three CTCs.
Uruguay
Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI)
CDI is an NGO that fosters social inclusion and active citizenship by promoting the use of information and communication technology in low-income communities. Microsoft UP funding for FY06 marks continued support of the Ventana al Sur project in Barrio Sur (Montevideo). A previous Microsoft grant helped establish a CTC in this community that supports 24 other CTCs throughout the country by hiring and training new instructors for those centers. CDI will establish 10 new CTCs where young people will be trained in the use of Office and information and communication technology tools and will be offered courses on how to create, manage, and self-finance microbusinesses and small businesses. CDI expects to reach 600 individuals in the first year and close to 2,500 in three years.
Venezuela
Organization of American States (OAS)/Trust for the Americas
The Trust for the Americas fosters partnerships among corporations, foundations, governmental bodies, and academic institutions in the Americas. The Trust's mission reflects the central goals of the OAS and mobilizes resources to confront extreme poverty and to promote democracy through actions that are environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable. With support from Microsoft UP, the Trust's regional Partnership for Opportunities in Employment through Technology in the Americas (POETA) has established CTCs for disabled youth in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Argentina.
In FY06, Microsoft's donation will fund 11 new CTCs while supporting existing centers in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Argentina. Working with local partners and OAS offices to educate representatives of business and government about the importance of providing job access to people with disabilities, the program expects to train close to 5,000 individuals in 2006. It will focus on securing job placements for those with physical and mental disabilities while also offering training to the community at large.
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