2nd GEM Global Training Exchange24th to 30th November 2009

Balí, Indonesia

LESSONS LEARNED IN COLOMBIA

Jorge Mauricio Escobar – Olga P. Paz – Diana M. Escobar

Derlly Pantoja – Aura E. Plaza

Ana Girón – Victoria Díaz – Eduin Moreno

Magda Peña – Lorena Orozco – Johana Cardenas

Santa Elena and Villapaz communities

About Universidad Autónoma de Occidente – UAO

Universidad Autónoma de Occidente has the mission of integrating with international perspective, the teaching and learning, research, and social projection functions, in order to contribute to the learning process of the people with a humanistic vision, creativity and enterprising spirit, and to generate knowledge and the solution of the regional, national, and international problems.

UAO participate in the National Telecentres Network as a member of the Network Coordination

Committee since 2007. UAO has also been working in several national and local telecentres meetings.

UAO is the partner organization for The Telecenter Strenghtening Project in the departments of Valle and Cauca.

About Research Group Communication for Development

Purpose

To generate knowledge and processes of social appropriation, about the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in community development, oriented to achieve social, economical and political strengthening of different organizations.

Vision

In 2010 to be a school of thought focus in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for community development, recognized nationally and internationally for the theoretical and methodological contributions and social impacts generated.

Research lines

1. Integral Systems of Information and Communication.

2 .Telecenter Model.

3. Social and virtual networks.

About Colnodo

Colnodo (www.colnodo.apc.org) is a nonprofit organization.

In 1993 born as information and Internet access provider.

It supports strategic use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for development.

Objective: To facilitate communications, exchange of information and experience between the Colombian organizations at local, national and international levels through low-cost electronic networks on issues such as human rights, improving the status of women, governance, democracy and citizen participation, sustainable development, democratization of knowledge, digital inclusion and strategic use of information and communication technologies for development.

About Colnodo

Strategic topics:

•Policies about Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

•Government online and e-democracy

•Promotion of citizen participation in use and appropriation of ICT

•Research, development and knowledge management of ICT

•Institutional Strengthening

Transverse topics:

•Sustainable development

•Free software

•Gender

About National Telecentres Network

Is an integrator of different initiatives and organizations by searching social and economical development of their communities, through information and communication technologies, ICT.

The Network promotes strategies for the digital inclusion of their different Colombian members to exchange experiences that allows the strength of each initiative and the Network.

Telecentres in Colombia

Communication, learning and meeting place that offers usage of information and communication technologies as means for the strengthening and management of initiatives aimed to improve living conditions in the communities.

Types of telecentres in Colombia:

•National government telecentres (Compartel) and operated by different entities.

•Telecentres installed by departmental and local governments (Ceteje, Infocali).

•Telecentres installed by foundations or areas of social responsibility of companies (ETB, EPM Foundation).

•Telecentres installed by civil society organizations (NGO, universities, communities and others).

•Typology by localization (rural - urban).

•Types of services provided.

•Type of population served

GEM in Colombia

Pilot Project: GEM tool applied in telecentres ( Compartel Villapaz and Santa Elena), located in southwestern Colombia.

Increasing participation of women and men and aware them about their community problems and to achieve the mobilization of actions and strategies using ICT creatively through in the telecentres.

To increase the sensibility and awareness the women about the role they play at home and community life and the power relationship that they establish with men.

To make women and men recognize and analyze their own problems and take decisions to solve them, using ICT. This implies formative actions to make people capable of analyze their problems and search alternatives to resolve them.

GEM in Telecentres

Implementation Objectives

To know the use that women and men make of the telecentres, especially recognize the uses differentiated by gender.

Determine if ICT use offers advantages and allows changes in women and men lives that live around the telecentre.

Involve the operator telecentre in promotion of ICT from a gender perspective.

Empower women community, aware them about their role and motivate them to increase their participation in social issues, making strategic use of ICT.

Build good practices to guarantee that women and men use the ICT from telecentres in themes about their live conditions.

Increase the impact of telecentres in the social development and quality of life for men and women.

GEM in Telecentres

Gender and ICT issues considered in the Project

Since the experience of work with telecentres, some relevant issues can be identify to be considered in GEM implementation:

¿Does the telecentre provides useful information according to topics of women interest?

¿Does the telecentre develops actions to promote and facilitate the strategic use of ICT by women and men of the community?

¿Does the telecentre provides ICT training opportunities such us schedule, services and costs considering the women situation?

¿Does the telecentre offers courses and virtual learning opportunities searching that women and men can participate to improve their qualifications and skills, especially to increase their income level?

¿Does the telecentres use ICT to increase the empowerment of women and men, social role awareness and encouraging the mobilization?

GEM in TelecentresGender and ICT issues considered in the Project (2)

¿It is evaluated the impact of ICT training offered by the telecentre?

¿Can the ICT training increase the self-esteem of women?

¿Do the telecentre operator knows about gender topic?

¿Are the project partner organizations aware of the importance of taking into account gender perspective?

GEM in TelecentresChallenges in GEM implementation

Educate a team of facilitators in gender issues and GEM. The group knew about gender theme, however they didn’t have enough knowledge about work methodologies.

Make the process according to the proposed plan. However, during the process appear more ideas in the community.

Include men in groups. In the initial workshops on gender sensitization some men felt attacked.

Have a time limit in reflection activities. In a specific moment the community was very encouraged and wanted to continue taking workshops.

In workshops, match different participant’s ideas, guiding the discussion without hurting anyone. This is a facilitator challenge especially in rural areas because there is strong male position and many stereotypes concerning the role of women and men. There are old beliefs that it is difficult to remove.

GEM in TelecentresChallenges in the treatment about gender and ICT issues and solutions resulting

Focus in issues related to the telecentre.

Sensitize men and women about the importance of the use of technology and its potential benefits.

Incorporate senior adults and elderly people in the use of ICT. In rural areas is common to think that these tools are for youth people and children.

Young people and children make comments and jokes that exclude adults in the use of ICT.

Designing data collection tools with understandable questions to the interviewed.

GEM in TelecentresLack of skills in the implementation team

Although the team read the GEM book several times, it was very complex for facilitators. Concepts comprehension was achieved as a team studying the GEM book and researching additional Gender topics.

Although the team had knowledge in the area of gender, there weren’t lot of knowledge about resources, tools, methodologies and training to guide workshops.

It was complex to take more theoretical and academic issues (Learning for Change, gender lens), for the women and men understanding in communities.

It was designed materials, workshops, dynamic, and methodologies, to guide each topic. To have a specific guide for each workshop gave more security to facilitators.

Facilitators needed conciliation skills to call order in the workshops when discussions or disagreements were presented.

GEM in TelecentresNew tools or methods used to complement GEM.

Whole GEM adaptation process for Telecentres implied:

Design Gender workshops, learning for change, projects evaluation, gender and ICT and ICT for social change.

Design of reflection, integration and motivation dynamics.

Design of workshops materials.

Design of data collection instruments.

Design GEM multimedia material for telecentres.

Analysis of data collected (pending).

GEM in TelecentresNew tools or methods used to complement GEM: data collection tools appliedInterviews (7 per telecentre)

1 operator2 users women2 users men1 no user woman1 no user man

Surveys (30 per telecentre)

Santa Elena = 20 participants to ICT and GEM workshops 10 no users

Villapaz = 25 participants ICT and GEM workshops 5 no users

GEM in TelecentresNew knowledge acquired about the gender assessment

Learn a methodology for evaluating for projects, important for telecentre development.

Identify different social problems and unequal conditions for women.

Implementation team was able to appropriate concepts and sensitivity about gender issues.

Coordinating and participants organizations gained knowledge and appropriation process on gender issues.

It was adapted and tested a methodology that is being implemented now in 22 Compartel telecentres located in 9 departments of Colombia. This is impacting on the practical level in the model of telecentres installed by the national government. It has 20 facilitators over GEM working in various areas of the country and more organizations incorporating gender perspective in their projects.

GEM in TelecentresActions or changes that occurred as result of the evaluation process

Women who participated in workshops increase self-esteem and empowerment and now they say that have better relationships with their husbands and children. At the end of the process they felt more capable to work for the good of the community and participate in social processes.

The work in workshops, allowed that many people lose their fear of public speaking and express their ideas without fear of being identified.

In telecentre Compartel Santa Helena participated children and adolescents in the workshops. This is important to instilling values of equity and gender in the new generations.

As a result of the telecentre Compartel Villapaz process, women get organize in an association.

The women who participated in the process are using more ICT and through them are searching alternatives to increase income and improve their education..

GEM in TelecentresRequirements (not negotiable) for GEM implementation

Facilitators in field work that guide the process.

Time and resources travel to communities and make workshops.

The profile, quality and knowledge of the facilitator is important because discussions presented in workshops that generate controversy.

A team work for planning, guide and discuss the entire process.

Staff personnel during the process of gathering information.

The community need open to discussion on gender issues with respect for diverse opinions.

Methodologies work dynamics and thoughtful.

GEM in Telecentres¿How much does it cost to implement GEM in telecentres?

Colombia case. Has the following support:

APC: The resources were sufficient to cover the part-time work of the facilitators in the process field and two field trips for coordinating the project from Bogota to the Valle del Cauca. Support and guidance methodological in the process.

Ministry of ICT: with this resources were funded fees regional coordinator in the area that supported the implementation in the field. Travel expenses for field visits and workshops for facilitators. The design of multimedia. A part of realization the videos.

Universidad Autónoma de Occidente: Loan of equipment for video production and post production. Content produced by students. Time to coordinate the process.

Colnodo: Time to coordinate the process. Three trips of the coordination from Bogota to Valle del Cauca. Additional Resources Management with the Ministry of ICT.

GEM in TelecentresRecommendations to implement GEM in telecentres

Read the book of GEM, understand, and review other references about the subject.

Make a work plan that includes process stages: Raising, Questioning, Proposing, Collecting, and Producing.

Knows the community where the methodology will apply.

Have a facilitator sensitive to gender issues, trainer in GEM, with communication skills and extensive knowledge of the community.

Have the support of the telecentre operator.

Understand that the gender issue does not only involve women, men can also participate in the process.

Design and implement workshops, dynamics and resources to bring the issue to the community in a fun and understandable way.

THANKS.

Jorge Mauricio Escobar SarriaCali. Colombiajescobar@uao.edu.cojmes79@hotmail.co

Universidad Autónoma de Occidentewww.uao.edu.co