A company, in collaboration with Costa Rican cooperative Sula Batsu developed a program on the strategic use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for a Sustainable Economic Development (SED) in Central America; the client is Dutch non-governmental organization (NGO) HIVOS.
The program formulation was based on a research realized in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala, amongst 38 local partner organizations from HIVOS that work in the field of Sustainable Agricultural Production, Renewable Energies, Microfinancing and ICT. Additionally, an analysis was performed on ICT and SED issues in Central America based on secondary sources.
The most important research outcomes, which were used to design the Central American program ReD-DES are:
The need to strengthen organizations through networking; creating a platform for information management; exchange of experience and knowledge.
The need to empower the most vulnerable populations so that their voices are heard and to close the gap between information resources used by final target populations and the organizations that support them.
In sustainable production: the need for positioning and developing local, regional and international markets; creating fair and strong relationships between buyers and producers.
The opportunity to use regional natural resources for renewable energy.
The need for a strategic gender approach, which implies increasing access and control of resources as well as decision-making power for women.
Credits:
A Company (Marije van Lidth de Jeude) with Sula Batsu (Kemly Camacho) for *HIVOS*
Location: Central America
Status: Completed
Year: 2007