The Internet Society Foundation has awarded over $1 million in digital skills development grants to nine innovative projects in Bangladesh, Colombia and Senegal. Now in its second year, the Strengthening Communities/Improving Lives and Livelihoods (SCILLS) grant program aims to expand economic growth and increase educational opportunities by supporting individuals and communities to more knowledgeably and skillfully use the Internet.
The selected projects include:
Bangladesh
- Foundation for Learning Equality (in partnership with Agami) – Support teaching and learning in Bangladesh through an innovative and low-cost open source learning platform, designed for use in low-connectivity learning environments. ($149,116)
- Sesame Workshop – Provide a safe Internet environment for young children by increasing access to and awareness of safe online Internet spaces, and developing and sharing engaging content over online learning platforms. ($149,915.00)
- Christian Aid – Deliver training and mentorship for aspiring women entrepreneurs, helping them to grow their own businesses and achieve economic independence. ($149,994.00)
Colombia
- Corporación Enseña por Colombia – Deliver Internet-centered interventions that strengthen the education ecosystem, including training teachers in digital literacy and introducing a media literacy curriculum that promotes responsible use, consumption, and production of digital content. ($149,983)
- Caring for Colombia – Provide a hybrid Internet-based education and income-generation program for Venezuelan migrants and host communities. Participants will take courses in areas including online marketing and web design, while gaining practical work experience through short-term job placements. ($145,442)
- Fundación Tiempo de Juego – Facilitate job opportunities for young people who have historically been excluded from the labor market through training in technology, use of the Internet, and 21st century skills. ($98,630)
Senegal
- Simplon Foundation – Train 420 young people in basic digital skills, helping to improve their employment and entrepreneurial prospects. ($95,375.00)
- Association Jeunesse Espoir – Support young farmers in gaining digital literacy skills, enabling them to make the most use of technology to improve their agricultural productivity. ($149,758)
- Synergie pour l’Éducation aux Numériques et aux Médias – Building on work that began last year through a 2020 SCILLS grant, this extension in funding will go towards training teachers on how to use the Internet to improve their teaching, and supporting students in building ICT skills through “tech clubs” and inter-collegial hackathons. ($50,000)
Through these grants, the Internet Society Foundation looks forward to supporting communities in acquiring critical digital skills that hold the potential to improve education and economic outcomes.