Brazil: Digital Corridor Project
In partnership with Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI), SVQF committed to funding the establishment of a school in the City of God, one of the most impoverished and violent slums in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In addition to offering training in digital literacy and civic education, the school will launch community-owned micro-enterprises. The school is expected to train nearly 500 at-risk youth and adults in information technology skills and civic education, allowing them to improve their job prospects and return the benefits to their community.
Through its network of 840 learning centers throughout South Africa and Latin America, CDI provides information and communication technology and education to underprivileged populations whose economic and social disadvantages are exacerbated by the technological divide. CDI’s learning centers, which are established in partnership with local grassroots organizations, are self-sustaining and managed by community members. The curriculum integrates technical education with civic education, empowering students to take the skills they acquire into their communities to address local challenges.
CDI has received over 40 international and national awards. In 2006, CNN chose CDI as one of the world’s three Principal Voices in Economic Development, along with Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus and Professor Jeffrey Sachs. CDI was founded in Brazil by Rodrigo Baggio, who has been named by the World Economic Forum as one of the world’s 100 Young Global Leaders and by TimeMagazine as one of the 50 Leaders in Latin America who will make a difference in the Third Millennium.
