Microsoft helps people realise their personal potential

Driven by an ambition to help people develop the skills required to gain access to meaningful and sustainable employment, and in so doing support the government's goal to halve poverty and unemployment by 2014, Microsoft South Africa aims to invest in the lives of at least 775 000 people over the next three years (ie, 2007 through 2009).

This was revealed today during a Microsoft Community Affairs Grantee Roundtable event attended by representatives of the non-governmental organisations and other charitable institutions that the company has chosen to partner with, plus members of the media.

Speaking at the event, Microsoft South Africa Managing Director, Pfungwa Serima, said that Microsoft - as a global entity - is committed to providing training and tools to partner organisations so as to create social and economic opportunities that can transform communities by helping people realise their potential.

"With this in mind, Microsoft's global community investment efforts are focused on increasing digital inclusion and bringing the benefits of technology and technology skills to 250 million under-served people worldwide by 2010," he said.

Serima adds that the decision to form partnerships with non-governmental and community-based organisations is a vital component in Microsoft Corporate Affairs' ability to deliver successfully on this ambition. Rather than taking an egotistical approach, Microsoft has opted to leverage the local knowledge and expertise of these organisations to identify projects that can gain the most advantage from the company's investment activities. This altruistic route to market ensures that the impact of Microsoft's contributions - whether financial or in the form of products - is maximised in terms of community and individual reach.

In particular, Microsoft South Africa endorses Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) - a global community-based learning programme focused on extending IT skills and economic opportunities that enable young people and adults to realise their personal potential.

"Unlimited Potential supports projects around the world through a combination of cash grants, software donations, technology solutions, and a specialised training curriculum," explains Serima. "Working in concert, the components of UP achieve greater impact by benefiting more individuals."

A three-pronged approach has been taken by Microsoft South Africa, comprising the following elements:

* Empowering NGOs - NGOs have access to appropriate technology, including donations of suitable software, that will enhance their service delivery at community level.
* Broadening reach - Training and governance interventions ensure that the level of reach in the community is maximised.
* Community Telecentre sustainability - Programmes are in place to upskill people using the UP curriculum to fulfil the requirements for national diploma courses accredited by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), thereby developing a bank of telecentre operators as well as management-level candidates.

According to Serima, Microsoft South Africa has approved grants to the value of $219 842 for implementation in 2007. This represents a 46% increase on the 2006 budget, and is expected to contribute substantially to the company's goals and, in turn, support the Microsoft Middle East Africa (MEA) target of reaching 15 million people by 2010. A few projects have been identified that have the potential, individually and collectively, to realise Microsoft South Africa's corporate investment ambitions. Broadly speaking, the projects are as follows:

1. Telecentre Trainers "Train the Trainer", a three-year project launched in 2006 that aims to develop the skills of telecentre operators so as to enhance their employability while simultaneously ensuring the sustainability of telecentres. Driven by a partnership comprising The Universal Services and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) and TASA, the overarching ambition of this project is to have telecentres certified as training centres. SANGONeT will implement the project on behalf of the partners. To date, 50 telecentre managers have been trained as subject matter experts in the UP curriculum (a total of 188 telecentre managers will benefit from the programme initially). Of these candidates, 10 individuals will ultimately become accredited as trainers, assessors and moderators.

2. Enhance the work of and accelerate the spread of E-community Forums. This initiative is part of the Cape Access project of the Developmental Communications Department of the Western Cape Province's Premier Provincial Communications Component. It is considered best practice in digital inclusion in South Africa, and won the Western Cape Premier's Innovation Award in November 2006. The e-community forums' role is to accelerate socio-economic development through the innovative use of information and communications technology. To date, six telecentres (access points) have been established in the rural reaches of the Western Cape so as to provide access to general and government information via the Internet. Microsoft's involvement includes providing the e-form council with software, copies of the curriculum for use in the new telecentres to be established in 2007, training for the trainers at these centres and organisational development support through skills development. It is estimated that some 50 000 people will benefit from the project over the next three years.

3. Skills Development and Economic Independence of the Disabled, which has focused on the socio-economic integration of the physically disabled into economic society since its launch in 2005, largely by way of establishing customised income-generating centres in each of South Africa's nine provinces by 2008. A collaborative effort of The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA), The Thabo Mbeki Trust for Disabled People, Alexander Forbes and The Valley Trust, this project gives people with disabilities the opportunity to gain IT skills. This will be achieved by establishing Digital Villages modelled on a pilot project in Soweto, which will also offer facilities for disabled people to access employment processes such as drafting CVs and attending employment interviews. It is envisaged that the Digital Villages will benefit 750 people over a three-year period.

"These projects clearly reflect the skills development and training focus of our social endeavours," says Serima. "They also demonstrate our commitment to using our products to make a measurable difference in the lives of the under-served population. Our overall goal is to provide training to at least 305 000 people by the end of 2009, thereby improving their employability and contributing to a reduction in the unemployment rate."