Digital Literacy Colombia Project #10266

Inclusion for People with Disabilities in Colombia

by MAKAIA

Inclusion for People with Disabilities in Colombia

Project Report | Aug 26, 2016
Let's do it! Accessibility without barriers

By Luisa Fernanda Galeano Martinez | International Cooperation Coordinator

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!

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May 31, 2016
Planting seeds of knowledge, collecting social dev

By Luisa Fernanda Galeano Martinez | International Cooperation Coordinator

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!

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Mar 1, 2016
Taking steps towards social inclusion in Colombia

By Luisa Galeano | International Cooperation Coordinator

Thank you!

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

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