Inclusion for People with Disabilities in Colombia

These wonderful microproject is coming to an end and we want to recap our work with these five amazing organizations!

Alongside this project we have worked closely with the 5 beneficiated organizations. Firstly we identified their needs and established the support mechanisms that we will provide to them.

In order to strengthen its technological capabilities, MAKAIA has given them:

• Feasibility assessment to be recipients of donations of software; when organizations were eligible, we started the donation process and some organizations are already enjoying licenses from Google or Microsoft, antivirus and others.
• Each organization has carried out an evaluation of digital maturity, which is a self-assessment where organizations answer some questions about the usage of technology in their organizations, the result is a level of technology that opens the way to determine what will be the accompaniment in each of them; and this support began with the realization of a digital maturity advisory.
• In addition, we have granted licenses for the Platform Nodo Ká, a platform created by MAKAIA where organizations can manage all processes of cooperation; with this license, a training component was carried out on the use of the platform.
• Technical visits have been performed by our expert staff, in order to conduct an assessment of the technological infrastructure of each organization. Some of the key points tested are Internet connection, technology uses, who use technology devices in the organization, the number of computers they have in the organization and other key points.
• After the technical assessment MAKAIA has performed an ICT adoption analysis to find what are the specific need of training for each organizations
• Once we have the final result of the ICT adoption analysis we designed a training program for each organization.
• The training process was offered to the organizations according the needs found after applying the assessment, they were among other topics in issues of:  cloud Computing; create, manage and share folders and documents on the cloud; install and configure software donated; social media and community management; e-learning, MOOCs; software for PWDs; business planning; labor productivity with mobile devices; maps and georeference; online conference; and online team work.
• These organizations have received support to install and configure Gsuites and to create e-mails accounts with the domain according each hosting.
• Organizations have had the chance to have a photo session with an American organization of professional photographers so they can have a set of pictures of HD quality.

The testimonies of our beneficiaries spoke from themselves! Here are some of them:

• "These trainings are great!, now it allows us to have tools so that the young people we serve can handle the computer better, the trainings have served us enough for our professional life as here in the entity" Aula Abierta, Paula.
• "We now have institutional mail with the domain of the organization, also MAKAIA gave us training to learn how to use Google applications. This will allow us to be more efficient in our work, we are incredibly grateful." Foundation Mónica Uribe, Adriana.
• "Here we have a lot of staff who work in the field and for them it is very interesting to be able to learn how to use collaborative tools online. We are many in the institution, we hope that who went to the trainings become replicators of information." Rehabilitation Committee, Diego.

Thank you so much for supporting the improvement of quality of life of many people, these couldn’t be possible without your contribution. We encourage you to see out video, spread the good news and share this powerful project with your family and friends.

Thinking out how to supress the barriers that disability presents when using and adopting technologies, has been one of our greatest learning through this journey we have made together.

All days, anywhere and at any time people with disabilities have to face challenging situation and barriers for their proper development as part of the society. However, technology has become an essential tool to lower many of these barriers. MAKAIA is committed to the straightening of technological, communicational and infrastructural capacities of the five organizations with have been working since the end of last semester. In the ultimate goal of promoting social development.

We are consent that the importance of technology use for these organizations remains in the guidance and support given from our organization. This is why we have been working nonstop to identify their needs and meet them as soon as we are allowed to. We have gather experts and practitioners from our awesome MAKAIA team and some external partners such as Ruta N to be the ones to lead the development and growth of these organizations. 

With all five, Fundación Óyeme, Fundación Amigos con Calor Humano, El Comité de Rehabilitación, Mónica Uribe con Amor y Discapacidad sin Barreras – Aula abiertal; we have so far introduced to them a communications and social media component, that will allow them to make the most of their social networks, increase their followers and promote their actions among the beneficiaries and potential donors.

We are so exited the organizations are in training of use and adoption of ICT; educational software, Gsuite, and clouding computing tools for efficient and collaborative work. Last but not least there is a special motivation for each organization to develop a sustainable business plan hand in hand with our local partner Ruta N.

All these actions combine together provide development opportunities that enable people with disabilities to grow economic, recreational and personal level

As always, thank you for your contributing to improving the quality of life of many people, these wouldn’t be happening without your support. We encourage you to spread the happiness and share this wonderful project with family and friends.

Undoubtedly small actions change the world and we expect this project to change the world of many people.

In June, MAKAIA launched a call for social organizations working with people with disabilities, we received dozens of applications and we chose the five organizations with better focus and those which meet the requirements of a digital infrastructure base to work on strengthening its technological capabilities.

The organizations selected were: Fundación Óyeme, Fundación Amigos con Calor Humano, Centro de Rehabilitación, Mónica Uribe con Amor y Discapacidad sin Barreras – Aula abierta. So far we have worked closely with these organizations to identify their needs and establish support mechanisms that we will provide them.

In order to strengthen its technological capabilities, MAKAIA has provided organizations: a feasibility assessment to be recipients of donations of software; when organizations were eligible, we started the donation process and some organizations are already enjoying licenses, Google or Microsoft, antivirus and others. Furthermore, each organization has carried out an evaluation of digital maturity, which is a self-assessment where organizations answer some questions about the use of technology in their organizations, the result is a level of technology that opens the way to determine what will be the accompaniment in each of them; and this support began with the realization of a digital maturity advisory.

In addition, we have granted licenses for the Platform Nodo Ká, a platform created by Makaia where organizations can manage all processes of cooperation; with this license, a training component was carried out on the use of the platform.

Have been made, technical visits with our expert staff, in order to conduct a review of the technological infrastructure of organizations, how is their internet connection? how they use technology? who use technology? how many computers they have in the organization? among other observations.

Finally, recently we made a visit of formative proposal, where MAKAIA presented to organizations the contents of the formations that we will make in matters of technology.

One of our organizations said in a meeting: "We want the technology to be as friendly to our organization and become an enabler for our work, and allowing more contact with our target population due to the possibility of communicating through ICT"

Once again, thank you for your support and for contributing to improving the quality of life of many people.

Best wishes,

MAKAIA group!

Here we are! And we are making dreams come true.

We are proud of what all of you have helped us to make and what we have reached with your support, each step we make is thanks to your support and the commitment all of you have for the social development, especially with our project.

Now, after receiving the Nokia grant, we are planning to impact organizations that work with people with disabilities, the reason? We want a bigger impact and we know that together is better. We will make a call for non-profit organizations that have as objective improve the life quality of people with disabilities, and we will build them a strategy for strengthening their technological capacities.

The strategy will have three approaches: i) encourage incorporation into the labor of people with disabilities, ii) job training for people with disabilities ii) leveraging productive units of the social organizations impacted.

This projects makes us happier every day, and as Lenin Moreno - the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Disability and Accessibility - said in the event of Science and Technology Solidarity for people with disabilities: "That information and communication technologies reach people with disabilities. Because without information, people in the modern world accomplish nothing. The information is essential to take appropriate decisions at the right time"

We are conscientious of the importance of supporting and integrating people with disabilities, who are often deprived of rights or are rejected by society, that is why with your support we are arriving to those who need our help and we are giving them the opportunity to fully enjoy their rights

Thanks to your donations, we will be able to:

• Install technological capabilities in social organizations enabling them to have knowledge and experience in ICT to contribute to personal and social development of people with disabilities.
• Generate a wide impact on the population of people with disabilities by strengthening the capacities of social organizations who work with this sector.
• Ensure an efficient adoption of ICT in organizations members and their beneficiaries way that in their daily lives they can use these technologies to facilitate their performance in their daily activities.

We thank you again for giving us the opportunity to improve the life quality of people with disabilities and strengthen their capacity every day, thus impact the thousands of beneficiaries that these organizations support.

Thank you very much! 

With the support of GlobalGiving, MAKAIA is taking steps towards social inclusion in Colombia!

In recent years MAKAIA has leveraged of its expertise to the development and capacity building in Information Technology and Communications - ICT - in people with disabilities. Within its efforts to achieve great impacts on this population, the corporation has used both own resources and those obtained through international cooperation. On January 18, NOKIA via crowdfunding platform GlobalGiving UK, awarded to the Corporation MAKAIA a grant that will support their efforts towards social inclusion in the country.

The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps of the World Health Organisation - WHO, defines disability as "any restriction or absence, due to a deficiency in the ability to perform an activity in the form and within the range considered normal for a human being in its social context”.[1] It is estimated that over 500 million people worldwide have some physical, mental or sensory impairment, and about 80% of these people live in developing countries.[1]

According to the projections of the National Administrative Department of Statistics – DANE, in Colombia there are about 3 million people with disabilities, of which 52% are in their productive age, but only 15,5% do some kind of work. 61% of these people do not receive any income for their livelihoods.

People with disabilities face significant barriers to access to education and employment which hinders their economic and social development. These people are exposed to discrimination and social exclusion, which ultimately prevents them from exercising their rights and freedoms fully.

Thanks to the contributions of each donor, MAKAIA has managed to impact many lives of people with disabilities, and now thanks to the grant received by GlobalGiving, MAKAIA expected through ICT provide development opportunities that enable people with disabilities to grow economic, recreational and personal level. The project will add different partners in order to install or strengthen technological capabilities in different social organizations working for the improvement of the quality of life of this population, seeking to incorporate sustainable strategy in which knowledge and experience can be enjoyed by the target audience.

From Makaia we seize this opportunity to thank all donors and GlobalGiving to support our inclusive and transversal ICT practices that contribute to social development in Colombia.

[1] Parlamento Andino. Recovered from http://www.parlamentoandino.org/csa/documentos-de-trabajo/informes-ejecutivos/38-personas-en-condicion-de-discapacidad.html

Links:

• Makaia is taking steps towards social inclusion in Colombia