This project will provide education in technology to 100 at risk adolescents, especially girls, who receive health services, meals and education from Casa Esperanza, a non-profit organization that provides educational alternatives to children and teenagers in extreme poverty conditions. The project will introduce girls and boys to digital concepts and resources that will help them in their school and life activities and future jobs.
More than 300 children living in poverty, mainly Afro-Panamanians and indigenous, attend daily to Casa Esperanza to receive health, nutrition, tutoring and education. However, their training does not include education in technology to help them bridge the digital divide; in other words, the skills and abilities to benefit from access to technology in a safe and effective manner. Parents are usually not aware of the risks posed by technology making girls and boys vulnerable to harmful practices.
This project will provide 100 youngsters, with preference to girls, instruction on a) digital citizenship, to limit their exposure to cyber risks, and b) internet cloud resources such as information search, emails, word processors, spreadsheets and presentations. Building digital skills will provide them important tools to help them overcome limitations and risks in their immediate environment. In fact, technology is widely recognized as a portal to upward mobility, helping escape poverty.
Panama has the second-most unequal income distribution in Latin America and the sixth worldwide, and this situation worsens for women. This project aims to introduce and guide 100 youngsters, especially women, into digital concepts and resources that will contribute to their studies and future job search, widening opportunities for better performance and quality employment. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken our workshops to a web live format, mantaining its interactive & vivid nature.
