FRIDA 2011 Awards: A Commitment to Development
November 3, 2011
Regional Fund for Digital Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean (FRIDA)
The Regional Fund for Digital Innovation in Latin America and the Caribbean (FRIDA) presented awards to five outstanding initiatives that have contributed to the use of the Internet as a catalyst for change in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The projects Plan Ceibal, Mercedes y Marcos Paz Digital, Red Educativa Mundial, Movimiento Mega Não ao vigilantismo na Internet, and Via Nostrum were presented the 2011 FRIDA Award during the LACNIC XVI event in Buenos Aires.
The winning proposals were selected from among the more than 120 projects from 34 different countries of our region presented this year in response to a contest summoned by the FRIDA Program aimed at recognizing those initiatives that have made the greatest contribution in the areas of Internet access, freedom, development, and innovation −key 2011 Internet Governance Forum issues. All winning project leaders participated in the sixth edition of the Forum, held in Kenya in late September, where they shared their regional experiences.
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In the Access category –initiatives that have allowed increasing Internet access through new technical and organizational formats– the winning project was Plan Ceibal, of Uruguay.
In the Innovation category –initiatives that have introduced technical innovations in any aspect relating to Internet development– the jury selected the project Mercedes y Marcos Paz Digital, of Argentina.
In the Development category –initiatives that use the Internet to contribute directly to the resolution of environmental and socio economic challenges– the award was presented to Red Educativa Mundial.