14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft donations of both cash and software worth over $7.3 million will find their way to Community Technology Centers (CTCs) in Latin America and the Caribbean in the coming year. For 2010, the Redmond company will offer no less than $1.925 million (U.S.) in cash to 25 nonprofit organizations and an additional $5.413 million in software to 155 institutions. According to the software giant, the donations are designed to drive work-force development, as well as fuel and promote micro-entrepreneurship.
“Driving entrepreneurship is a key component of the social impact Microsoft hopes to generate in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Hernán Rincón, president of Microsoft Latin America. The Redmond company has long been a supporter of taking technology and ICT education to underprivileged people around the world, as a solution to poverty, and as a way to drive jobs and opportunities that will ultimately contribute to the development of communities in developing markets. It is, of course, the case of the training offered in CTCs.
“We believe that we have a responsibility as leaders in the IT industry to direct our social investments and partnerships with local communities to empower people and provide them with the tools that allow them to leverage the power of technology,” Rincón added. “CTCs have a key role in providing technical skills training programs that help people increase their self-sufficiency and capacity to learn. These programs not only help close the digital divide but, as a result, also enrich the local communities with a more educated and innovative work force.”
Microsoft announced the $7.3 million donation at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) VII Inter-American Conference on Corporate Social Responsibility, an important move from its Unlimited Potential Initiative. The company estimates that almost 1.5 million people across no less than 16 countries will have the possibility to access technology education via over 600 CTCs in the area. Microsoft’s Community Technology Skills Program debuted in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2003, benefiting in excess of 20 million people. In total, over $16 million in grants and $139 million (U.S.) in software donations went to approximately 1,500 nonprofits in 27 countries in the region, Microsoft emphasizes.