Pilot Program

This Program is carried out jointly by the Information Technology for Development (SDS/ICT) and the Regional Technical Cooperation (INT/RTC) Divisions.

The utmost goal of the Program is to enhance the use and application of information and communication technologies in social programs, in the priority sectors that determine the strategy of the Bank's Regional Technical Cooperation, so that these technologies contribute to grant more efficiency to the projects aiming to reduce poverty and to improve social justness in the Region. The Program provides non-refundable funds allotted to identification, analysis, design and implementation tasks of projects based on Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) contributing to social development.

The main direct recipients of the Program are, among others: i) private civil organizations; ii) organized groups of non governmental institutions; iii) public institutions which decide about social sectors, and iv) scientific and technologic institutions such as universities and investigation centers.

Projects belong to the areas defined as top priority in the Bank's Regional Technical Cooperation scheme. These areas comprise: (i) commerce and integration; (ii) education and training of human resources; (iii) poverty reduction and networks for social protection; (iv) management of natural disasters; (v) environment; (vi) public health.

Index

Activity areas and scope

The activities that may be considered as financing objects in the above mentioned thematic areas are, among others: a) studies, investigation and development of ICT applications; b) integrated uses of telecommunications and information systems; c) management of information and databases; d) follow-up and planning systems; e) computer systems, software and processes automation.

The projects and studies financed by Program resources have a regional scope. In case of being national, such projects must be as well applicable throughout Latin America and the Caribbean and constitute models of good practice in the framework of use and applications of Information and Communication Technologies for social development and poverty reduction.

Pilot program: a successful experience

This Pilot Program of regional technical cooperation represents the first effort of the involved IADB Divisions to fulfill the demand in the field of information and communication technology, fostering initiatives that have an impact on social and economical aspects, by means of non refundable financing associated to the obligation of compensation on the part of the recipient institutions.

This Program, although incipient, contributes as well to guide the Bank's policies and possibilities towards the demands of the countries, reproducing the experience to allow a continuous improvement.

The accomplishment of the presented projects is producing the expected benefits and even more, and at the same time, the learnt lessons generate knowledge that will be incorporated into prospective operations of the Bank.

SELECTED / FINANCED PROJECTS:

Centros de Multi-Aprendizaje Comunitarios (Community Multilearning Centers), presented by the Latin American Social Sciences College - Ecuador (ATN/SF-7119-RG-2) -

The project has aimed to create the curriculum for the supplementary teaching of mathematics, language and reading, information technology and ethical and civic values, for 10 to 15 year old children, teachers and community in general. This curriculum includes communication technology tools as well as innovative pedagogic methods. The project included a pilot training for teachers and use of information technology previous to the beginning of 3 centers, initially in Portoviejo and later in Loja and Tena.

The courses included educational and personalized software, multimedia and internet programs as well as software for initial and periodical evaluation of the educational advance of pupils. Teachers qualified to apply this curriculum worked in the centers, where didactics joined with interactive methods and technology were also applied.

Goals:

i) reinforcement of the curriculum by integrating technologies based on internet and multimedia, to give courses of language, reading and mathematics as supplementary education; ii) connectivity models for marginal urban areas and for rural areas; iii) communication and connectivity with the purpose of obtaining via Internet information relevant for the teachers, pupils and community in general; iv) use of software for initial and periodical assessment of the training, in order to personalize the learning process of supplementary education as much as possible; v) Internet access to sites where educational free software and stuff can be found. So could teachers and students share experiences, tasks and virtual libraries all over the world; vi) use of Internet to develop new interlinked learning methods. (Projects to be developed as team work in different geographical areas).

Another of the main goals of this project, once finished, was the implementation of a network of community multilinking centers to reduce the existing inequity of the system. The multilearning centers focused their efforts on teaching children with low means by awarding them grants and, in particular, on helping proactively indigenous and black girls and boys of poor families.

Current status: Final evaluation stage.

Somos Diferentes, Somos Iguales (We're different, we're equal), presented by Fundación Puntos de Encuentro (Points of Contact Foundation) - Nicaragua (ATN/SF-7119-RG-3) -

The project aims to interact with the new possibilities offered by Internet in the area, thanks to the international links by means of submarine optical fiber and the acceptance of broad-band technologies with the development of the radio and video production since the use of digital edition platforms.

The goal intended by joining both trends with the help of a collaboration project between a social entity (Puntos de Encuentro, a NGO for development) and a private entity (IBW, an Internet services provider) was to give the products of Puntos de Encuentro an interactive meaning in order to spread audience and offer television and radio programs on Internet.

Goals:

i) to make known through Internet each of the products of the strategy "Somos iguales... somos diferentes", promoting human rights of youth. To encourage interaction and dialog processes among young boys and girls by means of communication products of educational entertainment; ii) to give more chances to social and educational organizations to train and teach human capital, by offering new knowledge, information and work methodology in relation to young people.

This project contributes to join the growth trend of the net broad-band capacity and the democratization trend of the digital production in a collaboration project between Puntos de Encuentro, a NGO that works for the human rights of youth and for the gender equity, and IBW, a Internet services provider.

Puntos de Encuentro has developed television and radio programs. It proposed, as first step of the project, to give these programs an interactive content to reinforce and specify even more the compatibility of its audience. The second step was to offer its television and radio programs on Internet.

Both goals made interaction easier and in order to reach digital distribution, it looked for new national and regional audiences, thus ensuring the economical sustainability of the Puntos de Encuentro strategy, which is to educate on social subjects through entertainment.

Current status: now being implemented

Programa de Educación Empresarial (Entrepreneurial Education Program), on a distance mode, presented by the University of Piuria (UNP) - Ecuador (ATN/SF-7119-RG-4) -

The project's goal is to train entrepreneurs of micro and small businesses permanently, on virtual mode, in order to improve the management capacity by means of courses of small businesses administration, marketing, financial management (cash flow). 120 entrepreneurs will be trained and courses will be strictly assessed by experts. Following media will be applied, among others: television, Internet. 21 courses in full swing are expected to be taught: accounting, economics, administration, finance, marketing, etc.

This project is an accessible option for entrepreneurs of micro and small businesses and for interested people in general, who cannot follow business management courses in classroom. According to this, the UNP-IFDEMYPE (Institute for Micro and Small Businesses Development -- University of Piura) offers the business sector a viable option applicable to out of the way areas and for people who cannot follow training courses in classroom because of job, distance and purchasing power.The purpose of this project is to strengthen the quality of business training of the micro and small business sector.

The training intends to raise the level of technical skills of workers, improve productivity and increase monthly salary level. The household income in the project framework is deemed to be increased yearly progressively by 2'880,000 Nuevos Soles, as a consequence of the dynamic business training and education. A better training means the improvement of the fixed asset turnover rate by improving the net sales. At the moment the project was approved, the average rate in Piura was 6.7 times a year. (This indicator is the quotient resulting from net sales by fixed asset). The project will facilitate the entrepreneurs of micro and small businesses a democratic training program in community centers together with the rural communities, local governments and 6 NGOs: Castilla, Chulucanas, Ayabaca, Huancabamba, Talara and La Unión. The local governments, communities and NGOs will contribute with the corresponding amount to the equipment of each of these centers.

Current status: now being implemented

ATN/SF-7119-RG-6 - COMUNIDAD RURAL INTELIGENTE, (SMART RURAL COMMUNITY) presented by the NGO Fundajoven and the Local Government of Artigas- Uruguay.

The project Comunidad Rural Inteligente aims for the democratization of education in order to equal opportunities by using ICT. Accessibility to opportunities and to better means of living is not possible without accessing the information society and without ICT tools. This promotes the management of interaction and training among young persons living in semi-rural areas, building "virtual bridges" by means of ICT tools that allow accessing, training, generating own undertakings, interacting and taking part of the virtual community, fulfilling themselves as full persons living in the so called "global village of knowledge", without losing their identity nor generating because of their displacements, pressure in pursuit of the decline of the social structure, acting, on the contrary, as instigators of the development of the location, where the smart rural village generates. Indirectly, this consolidates the establishment and development of that location and future ones, in which the project is able to be applied as well.

The project will allow the executing Institution, the materialization of a practical experience in the ITC field, letting it reproduce the project and therefore, hopefully reaching 10 new opportunities in the next 10 years. This experience is to be capitalized to obtain estimated savings of 20% on the costs of the present project in each reproduction. Besides, the local government of Artigas is now in condition to reproduce in the next years this project or similar ones with the same structure, capitalizing an experience that allows it to achieve an important multiplier effect on the allocation of resources, because the additional income estimated for each supplied dollar is of USD 1.95.

Current status: now being implemented

ATN/SF-7119-RG-5 - PROGRAMA DE COLOCACION LABORAL: PROCOL - Uruguay Activo (Job Placement Program, Active Uruguay) presented by the Labor and Social Security Ministery and the private University Universitario Autónomo del Sur Uruguay.

This project deals with a government informatics system that allows operating an electronic labor market on Internet in the framework of the Labor and Social Security Department. The website, currently operative, is oriented to the occupational intermediation between unemployed persons and enterprises looking for workers. It will be a free service.

Following goals can be emphasized among others: a) development of software implementing an official electronic "Job Bank" for unemployed people, linked to the website of the Labor and Social Security Department; b) official spreading and promotion of the Program; c) inform on the website about support workshops for searching jobs, as well as about the informative aids they deal with (models of résumés, employment interview, formalization of freelance undertakings); d) program decentralization throughout the country; e) continuous training and supervision of the officials involved in the Program; f) supervision of each and all the steps of the setting in motion this Program.

Replying to a private initiative, the Department declared of "departmental interest: all the programs related to intermediation in labor market through informatics media, that fulfill the normative in force and guarantee confidentiality of the information used. As a consequence of these aspects and the daily inquiries, new options to promote the employment of unemployed workers all over the Republic and not only of those currently drawing unemployment insurance, have been proposed. This contributed and will contribute to: i) bring the way of linking between supply and demand up to date; ii) encourage the interinstitutional acts addressed to improve social welfare and to enhance justness, by integrating the most defenseless groups to social development and a better quality of life; iii) make the enterprises raise their awareness about the meaning of investing in human resources; iv) promote diversification and sustainability of local activities in order to generate new local positions and to improve the quality of life of the people living there; v) follow a permanent monitoring of demand in the labor market, which will make it possible to update, modify or keep the Active Employment Policies developed by Dirección Nacional de Empleo (National Employment Board).

Current status: now being implemented

ATN/SF-7119-RG-7 - SALTO RURAL A INTERNET (RURAL SALTO ON INTERNET), presented by the Local Government of Salto -- Uruguay.

The project aims to improve the quality of life of rural families by using a wide access to Internet as tool all over the interior part of the Department.

Goals:

i) to implement a Coordinated System to access Internet in different locations of the interior of the Department; ii) to advise the Production System about the proper use of this Service as a way of improving productivity and opportunities in order to increase their income; iii) to cooperate with the formal as well as informal Educational System to introduce new training options and continuing education addressed to people living in rural areas; iv) to cooperate with the local government in the begun process of administrative decentralization of formalities and services, addressed to people living within the project influence area.

Main results already achieved: a) 4 communities connected to the System; b) 40% of the rural enterprises within the influence area of the 4 initial communities have been already widely informed about the available resources of the System; c) nearly 70% of the rural enterprises mentioned in the previous item have taken advantage of the System; d) 100% of the Institutions linked to the Training and Educational Centers within the influence area will be informed about the advantages of the System within the first twelve years after the setting in motion; e) the continuously and thoroughly check of the System's use and effectivity.

Despite the fact that the obvious delay in knowledge notoriously impacting people living in the rural area, caused by a lack of access to information, constitutes a strong obstacle for the instrumentation of any development project, this was nevertheless successful.

The project aims to provide the whole interior of the Department of Salto with Internet access tools and with properly backed and coordinated communications, in order to overcome these difficulties.

Current status: now being implemented

Presented but not selected projects

A significant amount of applications was received both from the point of view of quantity as from the point of view of content, which proves the great acceptance of this Bank's Technical Cooperation.

We think, it is fair to enumerate also the other initiatives presented, although they were not selected, because they also prove the professionalism and seriousness of the institutions taking part, and almost all of them show the innovation power of the Area. (Please, click on the project title to learn more about it). Acceso Dinámico a Información de Población, Agricultura y Medioambiente (Dynamic Access to Information about People, Agriculture and Environment), presented by Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) -- Colombia.

Niñez y Ciudadanía (Childhood and Citizenship), presented by Fundación Omar Dengo (Omar Dengo Foundation) - Costa Rica.

CALIRED, presented by ONG GAIA (GAIA NGO) Spain.

Campus Educativo Virtual (Virtual Educational Campus), presented by AMARU Consultores (AMARU Advisors) Nicaragua.

De la ficha al disco compacto (From index card to compact disc), presented by Fundación Centro de Información y Servicios de Asesoría en Salud (Information Center and Health Counseling Foundation) Nicaragua.

EDUTEC, presented by UPC S.A.C. (Peruvian Applied Sciences College) Peru.

BOHIO, presented by Fundación Redes y Desarrollo: FUNDES (Networks and Development Foundation) and Groupe Haïtien de Recherches et d'Actions Pédagogiques -- Dominican Rep. / Haiti

Innovaciones Organizacionales para el desarrollo de una nueva economía social (Organisational Innovations for development of a new social economy), presented by the Local Government of Paysandú Uruguay.

Capacitación para la Inserción Ocupacional de Jóvenes en situación de riesgo (Training for the integration into the labor market of at-risk youth), presented by Instituto de Desarrollo Humano (Human Development Institute), the private University Universitario Autónomo del Sur and private enterprises Uruguay

REDES VIRTUALES PARA RESPALDAR LA PROMOCION JUVENIL EN EL URUGUAY (VIRTUAL NETWORKS TO SUPPORT YOUNG PROMOTION IN URUGUAY), presented by Instituto de Desarrollo Humano de la Asociación Cristiana de Jóvenes (YMCA Institute for Human Development) Uruguay

Tecnología de Información para Niños de la Sociedad del Futuro (Information Technologies for Children of the Prospective Society), presented by the former Instituto Nacional del Menor and now Instituto del Niño y el Adolescente del Uruguay (National Institute for Minors, today Institute for Children and Adolescents of Uruguay).

Red Regional de Formación y Capacitación para MEDIADORES -AMBITO de las DROGODEPENDENCIAS (Regional Network for Education and Training for Mediators -- Drug dependence field), presented by Instituto de Educación Popular "El ABROJO" (Institute for Popular Education "El Abrojo") - Uruguay

CAJA DE HERRAMIENTAS PARA MUJERES EMPRENDEDORAS (Toolkit for entrepreneurial women), presented by Asociación Civil Secretariado de Género, Ciencia y Tecnología: SEGECYT (Gender, Science and Technology Secretariat) Uruguay

RED CENTROAMERICANA Y DEL CARIBE DE ATENCIÓN PRIMARIA DE SALUD: CAYCAPS (Central American and Caribbean Network for Primary Health Care), presented by AMARU Consultores (AMARU Advisors) Uruguay