Name of the project and Sub-Objective of the PEOPLE project

INFORMATICS WITHOUT BORDERS / INFORMATICI SENZA FRONTIERE

Social & E-inclusion (SO4)Informatici Senza Frontiere (Informatics without borders) is a non-profit association based in

Italy. Its aim is to develop projects in order to reduce digital divide in its different forms.

Objectives of the project (1)

ISF develops projects working towards three main objectives: digital literacy, information systems and open source software development.

First of all, we develop projects in order to provide the opportunity of a basic learning on using and working with computers. (“learning some basic skills” can be a new opportunity to

socialize and be able to apply for a job, for example in nursing homes, prisons, retirement homes, homeless day-care institutions). Courses are hold by volunteers that offer their time

and competences.

Objectives of the project (2)The second main aim of the association is building up small information systems, where the

presence of information systems, even small ones, can be a great opportunity for improving the general functioning of the whole organization but also for a better living and working.

For example, ISF builts up networks of computers in some hospital departments where children with serious illnesses are hospitalized and isolated for long periods of time: thanks to the computers,

children can communicate to each other and with their families, play, write,and also follow up the lessons from their schools. Small networks have been built up in rural hospitals in Kenya and Uganda, in order to improve the functioning of the daily operations, such as admission

and dismissal, therapies, visits and laboratory activities. All networks are built using recycled computers (from the dismissal of companies or donated) operating with Ubuntu and other open

source applications, according to the philosophy of a free use of all information technologies.

Objectives of the project (3)

Exactly for this reason, the third main objective of the projects is to develop open source applications useful for specific needs, such as Open Hospital, built with the intent of serving

the needs of 8 rural hospital in developing countries in Kenya, Uganda, Benin and Afghanistan and Open Staff, an application to manage a refugee camp in Ciad and one to coordinate a

micro-finance project in Madagascar.

Beneficiaries (involved & concerned)In Italy, the concerned beneficiaries are firstly people facing any kind of social and economic exclusion, with

a specific attention to detainees, homelesses and children in difficult situations. In some projects, also people simply excluded from the access to digital culture. In some cases, as the earthquake of April 2009 in

Abruzzo, beneficiaries have been common people touched by a terrible natural disaster, and the association has, in that case, operated under emergence conditions. Another group of beneficiaries are associations

and organizations that work locally, and need any kind of help in using ICTs, from the provision of hardware to the development of specific software.

In other countries, the main concerned beneficiaries are people involved in some form of exclusion who can improve their conditions of life through the use of ICTs. This means, most of the times, people connected to

some kind of international projects or organizations or involved in developing programs. ISF works a lot with international associations and NGOs in order to provide technical help for their projects.

Results of the project

Informatici Senza Frontiere was founded in 2005 thanks to a small group of managers based in Treviso, Italy. Today, it counts more than 200 active members from all over Italy and 8

regional departments working on local projects.At least 20 different projects have been activated: most of them are still working, some from

2005. On the international level, ISF has worked in different countries: Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Ciad, Benin, Ecuador, Madagascar, with 19

different organizations and NGOs.In Italy, ISF has settled projects in almost every region, and is now active with a wide range

of collaborations both with local associations and informatics societies.

Strengths of the project (1)

The main strength of the projects we develop are: commitment, competence, experience, long-lasting perspective.

1)all projects are based on the work and commitment of volunteers, who donate their time and competence because they do think informatics can be an important tool to help other people and

improve their life.Therefore, projects based on a shared mission: struggling the digital divide, knowing that it is not

only a technical issue, but it concerns with social and cultural exclusion;

Strengths of the project

2) members and volunteers are involved using their personal skills: a lot of them are managers, or AD (chief executive), and use their competence and experience to give concrete shape to the projects. Their experiences are a great added value for all the activities, especially when

working in developing countries;3) ISF builds projects with a long lasting vision: in some experiences, in fact, the weakness of

projects resides in their shortness. ISF offers assistance all time long to the people involved in the projects, from helpdesks, to software releases, to improvements and renewal of the

hardware.

Success factors of the project

One of the most successful factors has been the collaboration and strong connection with other associations, organizations, institutions and NGOs, from which ISF has the opportunity to

improve its intervention, learn best practises, give advice and build up specific coordinated projects.

Therefore activities of the association have been characterised by a constant connection and dialogue with some universities: in its projects ISF tends to go with the theorizing and the study

of how to intervene. Some students, for example, from the University of Bari, have written their degree thesis on projects developed by ISF.

Problems encounteredThe main problems occurred in these years have been the same faced by organizations when they

try to operate in conflict or poor regions. First, working with technology in developing countries often means having to manage concrete and practical problems such as lack of electric power, long distances, no connections. In these cases, as said above, experience, mixed to creativity, can be the

right tool to overcome this kind of difficulties.In some cases, difficulties have been connected to the particular conditions of the places where ISF

operated. When it comes to build up information systems in hospitals, either in Italy or in developing countries, hygienic and privacy issues have to be combined to technological

necessities. Therefore, when operating in jails, security issues have the priority.

Conclusions (for the future)In the last year, the association has grown a lot, both in terms of number of members and in

terms of projects activated. Our experience has demonstrated that informatics can be an extraordinary tool to reduce marginalisation and social exclusion: our wish is then to be able

to spread out other projects that use ICTs to improve people's life.In practical terms, our first goal for the future is to guarantee continuity over time for all the

projects still active. Also, we aim to increase the number of our members, along with an improvement of our internal networks. Our experience has also showed up the opportunity

for many other organizations and associations to link and join together in common purposes, and we do hope to be able to keep on working with so many different realities.

Replication of the projectFrom 2005, year of foundation, the association has become bigger, more widespread and has had to face new struggles and needs. From an internal point of view, this has meant starting from an informal groups of people and evolving to a more structured organization: today, ISF is composed by a administration group and a group of people working constantly in different

areas of activity, such as communication, development, finance and projects.A great part of members are involved into the starting process of new projects, according to

their skills, time and competence. Another consistent group, though, is involved constantly on keeping updated and satisfied the needs of those projects that have been active for some

years or so. Since members take care both of the new and the past projects, the continuation of our activity is strictly connected to the availability of members in joining projects.