2nd GEM Global Training Exchange
24th 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 Telecentres
Gender 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 Telecentres
Challenges 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 Telecentres
Challenges 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 Telecentres
Lack 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 Telecentres
New 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 Telecentres
New tools or methods used to complement GEM: data collection tools applied
Interviews (7 per telecentre)
1 operator
2 users women
2 users men
1 no user woman
1 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 Telecentres
New 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 Telecentres
Actions 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 Telecentres
Requirements (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 Telecentres
Recommendations 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 Sarria
Cali. Colombia
jescobar@uao.edu.co
jmes79@hotmail.co
Universidad Autónoma de Occidente
www.uao.edu.co