Model of Sustainability of Colnodo

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Welcome toTIS TalksWe believe that today’s ICT4D (information and community technology for development) environment presents us with trends and opportunities with great potential to generate game changing innovations to telecentres and their growing number of users.Join us and learn how!

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Host and ModeratorJimena BetancourtTIS TALKS COORDINATOR

 [email protected]@jimebeta

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Successful sustainability models at telecentre netwokrs

Product Development oriented:*Syrian Telecentre Project*BIID Network

Partnership oriented :*ATN*Colnodo

TIS TALKS PHASE 1

1 2Social Innovation

Social Enterprise

Business Models leveraging ICT for the BoP

Trends and opportunities for Sustainability

6/08/12

Julián CasasbuenasEXECUTIVE DIRECTORColnodo

[email protected]@jcasasbuenas

Olga Paz M.Julián Casasbuenas G.www.colnodo.apc.org

WebinarsAugust 10 2012

Model of Sustainability of Colnodo

Mission and objectives of ColnodoSustainabilityStrategic axesElements of Sustainability of the Colnodo ModelThe National Network of Telecentres in ColombiaLessons learnedChallengesRecommendations

Content

Founded in 1993, Colnodo www.colnodo.apc.org is a Colombian Internet and Information Service Provider and a non for profit organization whose mission is to facilitate the communication, exchange of information and know-how between Colombian organizations at a local, national and international level through low cost communications.

Presentation

Colnodo’s main objective is to contribute to the reduction of the digital divide, the democratization of information, sustainable development and poverty reduction through the usage of Information and Communication Technologies - ICTs and free and open source software.

Colnodo has prioritized, through its strategic programs issues like human rights, the improvement of women conditions, governance, democracy and citizen participation, sustainable development, the

Objective

democratization of knowledge, digital inclusion and

strategic uses of information and communication

technologies for the development of the country.

Sustainability is based on fulfilling the mission and objectives of Colnodo: achieving positive social impact, coverage, partnerships and advocacy.

Development initiatives within the mission and strategic goals of the organization; training new human resources in the subject and other partner organizations in capacity building.

Sustainability

e-government and e-democracy

ICTs Policies

Promoting citizen participation in the use and appropriation of ICT

Research, development and management of knowledge in ICT

Strategic Axes Crosscutting Axes:

Free SoftwareGender andSustainable Development

Initially the focus was in services like webhosting, email services, web design, development of web based information systems. In recent years, it has been mainly working with larger projects in terms of impact, time of execution, coverage and resources involved.

As for the funding, it has shifted from cooperation from the United Nations agencies or international

organizations funding to local sources of funding such as the national government, local government, company foundations, among others.

The target population has expanded from nonprofit organizations, to networks, communities, public officials, telecentres, ICT managers, among others.

Sustainability throughout history

Innovation

Advocacy in ICTs policies

Networking with multistakeholders groups

Skilled personnel, committed and passionate

Alliances with new strategic partners

Focus work with priority communities

Elements in the sustainability model

Innovation

Skilled personnel, committed and passionate

• Issues• Applications• Content• Knowledge• Proposals

• Professionals who believe in ICT, which use them, advocate and promote them.

Focus work in priority communities

Building capacity for the use and appropriation of ICTs among

groups of the population who usually do not get the benefits of

innovations in ICTs such as people with disabilities, senior citizens,

ethnic groups, people in rural areas, women with low income,

among others.

• Involves and important level of activism, to be informed, to research, to read, to belong to networks, to build critical mass in the topic.

Networking with multiple stakeholders groups:

• Networking with multiple stakeholders groups:• It is a challenge to find different partners with whom we share similar

goals.• Allows greater coverage and social impact.• In the case of national partners allows advocacy at different levels.• For local partners, it allows capacity building to design new strategies in

local advocacy.

Alliances with new strategic partners

Management of new partnerships.Proposing projects with partners from different sectors that share the same goals. Adding possibilities, resources and needs.

Advocacy and ICTs Policies

• Between actors from the government, businesses and donors.

• On issues such as ownership, e-governance, telecentres and free software.

The network is a local integrator of different initiatives and organizations that seek social and economic development of their communities through ICTs. It promotes digital inclusion strategies of different actors in Colombia who are sharing experiences that allow the strengthening of each initiative and the Network.

The National Network of Telecentres in Colombiawww.telecentros.org.co

Objective:

Consolidate an efficient and sustainable model of collaborative work among participants of the Network, in order to have a positive impact on the dynamics of community development programs, the beneficiaries of public access centers and the ICT Telecentres in different regions.

The National Network of Telecentres in Colombiawww.telecentros.org.co

Hundreds of Telecentres and member organizations nationwide that share its principles.

It works under a broad notion of public access center to ICTs: Telecentres, digital community centers, information centers, educational institutions, libraries, among others.

Collaborative network that allows broad coverage and impact.

Addition of ideas, knowledge, learning, products and resources to strengthen ICT centers in Colombia.

Platform that supply services (Presently only ICT training, but others possibilities can be explored).

The National Network of Telecentres in Colombiawww.telecentros.org.co

Social sustainability has been achieved by targeting and reaching the population to be benefited, but also by putting in place a communication strategy to disseminate the results and achievements of the projects.

A key factor is raising in the political discussion, issues related to ICT and development.

Although difficult to achieve, it is important to manage and setup effective forums for dialogue with policy-making actors in the national government.

It is essential to use models of project management, quality management, evaluation and monitoring to allow the measurement and evidence of progress and achievements of a project.

Lessons learned

Continue to fulfill the mission and goals of the organization in a changing environment, and competitive and growing social demands.

Making an impact on the thematic agenda of decision makers, agencies, business foundations, etc..

To continue working in a network.

Being visionary in identifying new opportunities.

Continue training new professionals in the field and have a stable teamImplementing mechanisms of quality management.

To reach financial sustainability in processes in a short-term basis.

Challenges

Although it is demanding, working within a network of organizations not only strengthens it, but also helps to compete better and makes the process more interesting.

Search for alliances with the responsible of national government for ICT policies to advocate in policies, programs and budgets.

Search for allies at different local levels, which implies understand their needs, speeches and the way they do things. The idea is to keep a productive dialog without losing our principles.

Include models of planning, quality, follow up, evaluation and control of the projects, this is to build productive models more business oriented.

Recommendations

Thank You!!www.colnodo.apc.org

Julián Casasbuenas [email protected]

Olga Paz [email protected]

Next steps:

1. Complete survey3. Join us on Thursday, August the 16 at 08:00am GMTSocial Innovation: A trend for sustainabilityThe Australian Centre for Social Innovation