USAID helps the Philippines Bridge the digital divide
Charlaine Atillo graduated from high school seven years ago. He managed to finish one semester of vocational course before dropping out of school due to financial constraints. He had to find work to help his parents raise the family.
Fate had not been kind. Due to rising unemployment, Charlaine or Tootsie, as his friends call him, had a tough time finding a decent job. He spent most of his time at home tending to his siblings. When World Corps, an NGO engaged in establishing telecenters for development, visited Catmon, a small barangay in Northern Cebu, to scout for trainees to manage a community e-center (CeC) in the barangay, he immediately signed up.
After two months of extensive training, Tootsie was chosen to manage the Catmon community e-center. “I was really grateful for this opportunity,” Tootsie said. “We were trained not only to manage a community e-center but to share what we have learned with our community and help them use Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in their daily lives.”
After their training, however, the e-center was not immediately launched for lack of equipment. “We couldn’t open up the e-center even if we wanted to because it needed additional equipment to be fully functional and sustainable,” Ags Geverola, Executive Director of World Corps said.
To continue this program, the Last Mile Initiative (LMI) Program of the USAID-funded EMERGE Project partnered with World Corps to complete the equipment set-up in the Catmon e-center.
Aside from providing a computer server and a printer, the LMI is also facilitating the installation of a broadband connection to the e-center and providing Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solutions and applications.
Thanks to LMI support, the Catmon community e-center finally opened its doors to the community. The inauguration was attended by World Corps, the Catmon barangay captain, Mr. Andres Arche, Jocelyn Daway of USAID Philippines and Jonathan Metzger, Internet for Development Advisor of USAID. The LMI will continue its partnership with World Corps in establishing three more sites in rural Cebu in the coming months.
“I’m really glad that finally the CeC is operational. We have great plans to bring the elementary and high school pupils to the center to learn computer applications and do research. The center will benefit OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) families by using the computer to make calls and write emails,” Mr. Arche exclaimed.
Barangay Catmon is one of the towns in Cebu with a number of OFWs particularly seafarers.
Tootsie added that aside from basic computer training for the students, the CeC will also be open to all who want to learn how to use the computer and internet, free of charge. In fact, Mr. Arche was the first one to sign up for the free training.
“Now my dreams are finally being fulfilled. With my new job and new skills and knowledge I would learn by working here at e-Center, I could only express my warmest gratitude to all those who supported this project. Thank you USAID,” Tootsie said.