LACNIC and IDRC Present Ayitic Goes Global in the United States

30/11/2017

LACNIC and the International Development Research Center (IDRC) of Canada presented the results of the field research completed in preparation for the execution of “Ayitic Goes Global,” the project executed jointly by both organizations, at the Ford Foundation in New York.

Ayitic Goes Global is a training and employability initiative that promotes the digital development of Haiti, expanding on the activities LACNIC has been leading in this Caribbean country since 2013. More specifically, the project seeks to increase women’s access to employment in Haiti by building digital capacities in the field of Information Technology.

As Laura Kaplan, Development Manager at LACNIC, reported during the presentation at the Ford Foundation, it is expected that between 2018 and 2019 the project will train 300 young Haitian women and help them take advantage of online employment opportunities in foreign markets.

“In order to implement and replicate this model in other countries of the region, we must work on local Internet infrastructure. LACNIC is responsible for this component within the project. Together with Fundación Transversal, we are working on a series of initiatives through the ICT Cluster and developing two online courses for local technicians on networking and cybersecurity,” Kaplan told experts, consultants, international representatives, and members of the Haitian diaspora present for this activity which took place in the Ford Foundation building in New York.

LACNIC and IDRC presented the preliminary findings of a study conducted this year aimed at identifying market opportunities for the Haitian women who will receive online training within the framework of the project. This research included mapping potential course attendees and the pedagogical strategies to be developed by the instructors. It also analyzed current connectivity challenges in Haiti.

In addition to the work LACNIC has been carrying out in Haiti, Ayitic Goes Global incorporates online technical courses through an e-learning platform, training for women in digital data management, and efforts aimed at inserting participants in digital employment markets both in Haiti and abroad.

It also includes the creation of an Information Technology Cluster in Haiti led by Max Larson Henry of Transversal. This Cluster articulates actions within the local technical community to strengthen the Internet ecosystem in Haiti.

The New York round sought to present the initiative to potential new partners for the project, validate the results of the research, and advance in the search for common solutions to the social and economic problems of some of the most vulnerable Latin American and Caribbean countries.

Along with LACNIC and IDRC, Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haïti, local consultants Max Larson Henry, Christelle Valval, the Caribbean Open Institute of the University of the West Indies (Jamaica) and consultants 3×3 Design and Slashroots are also part of this project.