Poverty Reduction, Internet Access

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

This case study, part of a larger grouping of seventeen case studies, focuses on the Rits/Sampa.org cooperative association in Brazil. The cooperation exercised between the two organisations was developed in order to facilitate greater access to the internet and digital services for the economically poor, via Sampa.org’s network of telecentres throughout Sao Paulo.

The Information Network for the Third Sector (Rits) is a non-profit organisation created in 1997, that is dedicated to empowering domestic non-governmental organisations’ (NGO) ability to provide access and education of digital information and communication technologies (DICTs) in all regions of Brazil; however, this case study focuses on Sampa.org’s Sao Paulo telecentres exclusively. It is hoped that the example of Sampa.org’s Sao Paulo successes will translate into a nation-wide effort in the long term.

Rits’ initial analysis of Brazil’s NGOs, civil society organisations and their networks demonstrated a clear lack of sufficient infrastructure in Brazil for third sector organisations to either create or support telecentres. As a result of this finding, Rits in cooperation with Sampa.org, planned to connect 13,000 public schools, 50,000 public health units, hospitals and clinics, and the majority of public libraries to the internet. In addition to the infrastructure issues, Rits analysed conventional e-learning systems to determine their utility. Rits also developed a domestic training programme for e-conferencing and an intranet service. Likewise, Rits also agreed with Brazilian NGOs to develop and adapt e-content to meet domestic needs. Rits has also developed a web portal (Portal da Cidadania), which utilises a domestic software company’s technology. This portal’s intent is to provide space for NGOs to disseminate information.

• Publication of guidelines for ICT policies that include the poor.
• Model initiatives and solutions for ICT policy replication in other sectors and societies.
• Sampa.org’s success illustrates the ability to positively influence public policy.

• Violence and crime are significant issues within the favelas.
• Sampa.org discovered successful self-sustaining techniques from its experimental stage experiences; by using existing building structures, and utilising low-maintenance low-cost computer systems, Sampa.org focused staff training on improving institutional capacity and sustainability.
• Due to the high cost of running telecentres and associated logistical costs, state or non-state funding is essential for long-term success.
• Sao Paolo is estimated to need 1,000 telecentres for full digital inclusion.

• By combining the community centres with the telecentres, Sampa.org found that a greater degree of integration and impact on individuals and families occurred.
• As the Sampa.org example has shown, telecentres should be viewed as a community’s digital hub. This integration provides more than training or access to the internet; it allows for positive economic cost sharing, while impacting cultural and professional aspects of the community.
• Effective communication with criminal groups as to the purpose and benefit for the community reduced or eliminated crime at the telecentres.

• Brazil’s state and federal governments have launched numerous initiatives to bring internet access to all favelas.
• As a result of field research, Rits wishes to initiate a project to monitor the level of universal access.
• Sampa.org and the Sao Paolo municipal government continue to work together to create new telecentres.