The “Centro Social Nossa Senhora das Graças” (CSG) Learning Lab

Empowering the community of Jardim Conceição through self-sustaining 50x15 initiatives

CSG was launched in 1997 as a collaboration between NGOs and religious organizations in the low-income Osasco community of Jardim Conceição, São Paulo, Brazil. In the fall of 2005, AMD, under the aegis of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) IT Access for Everyone (ITAFE) initiative, helped develop and launch the first Internet access and computer education program at the CSG facilities. The program, named "Caça Emprego" (Job Hunt), was the result of an important collaboration between ITAFE’s industry partners and Fundação Bradesco, Brazil's largest non-profit education foundation.

Caça Emprego provided more than 200 paying citizens with valuable computer training, including email and Internet navigation and research education and job skills assessments. Citizens learned how to develop a more compelling resume, search for jobs online, and set up an email address. They also received valuable guidance on how to assess the local job market and increase the odds of finding and retaining a well-paying job for the long-term.

The results of the Brazilian pilot were not only dramatic for local residents, they were also encouraging for both ITAFE and future communities where ITAFE's initiatives are needed. The pilot was successful in demonstrating that people in developing communities are willing to pay for technology solutions if they fulfill a critical life-services need, such as employment, health and education assistance or education.

The next step would be to prove that with the right business model, communities could generate revenues and create self-sustainability for their digital inclusion programs in their own right. With the advent of the “Centro Social Nossa Senhora das Graças” (CSG) Learning Lab, that question is well on its way to being answered.

The objective of the CSG Learning Lab is to build upon the progress made through ITAFE. The primary objective of CSG is to empower the local community to create and implement a business plan that will generate enough funds to be profitable and subsidize the internet services that are offered in the existing digital inclusion center. To this end, community members along with 50x15 project leaders have worked together to develop a for-profit community magazine, and web portal for small and micro enterprises located in the community. Furthermore, workshops are in the works to develop additional business models that lend themselves to replication and self sustainability.

View the CSG Learning Lab Capsule