2008 News

MICROSOFT AND THE "CONSEJO VECINAL PRO DESARROLLO DE LA PENINSULA DE CANTERA" JOIN FORCES FOR GIVING TECHNOLOGY TO THIS COMMUNITY

May 2008 / San Juan, PR

As part of their alliance, Microsoft Caribbean and the "Consejo Vecinal  Pro Desarrollo  Peninsula de Cantera”  celebrated the opening of a Cyber Café, with the purpose of providing technology to the students of the public school Manuel Elzaburu y Vizcarrondo and to the 10,000 residents of this community through the project "Líderes para el Mundo" (World Leaders).

Supported by Microsoft with a grant of $230,000, ($80,000 in cash for the "Potencial Ilimitados" program (Unlimited Potential Program) and $15,000 for the software), the project "Líderes del Mundo" through the Cyber Cafe will emphasize the development of academic and professional skills in the youngsters throughout the use of technological tools like browsing the web and software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.

The Project “Líderes para el Mundo": Empresarios de su vida (World Leaders: Life entrepreneurs) is a conscientiously and supportive project developed with the goal of impacting 50 students of the Intermediate School Manuel Elzaburu and Vizcarrondo in Cantera and their families. Its main purpose is to enforce the youngsters as citizens and leaders throughout the education and no traditional areas; such as academic and technological skills, leadership, economic, emotional and social development, recreation, culture, civic-mindedness, voluntarism, and others.

The Cyber Cafe has 17 computers with Internet access and several software’s. It will also become as a place for communitarian investment, because it provides technological assessments for the elderly and community leaders. In June some technological workshops for kids, youngsters and adults in the community will be given. This will be possible thanks to the support of two Microsoft’s partners, Rock Solid Technologies, and Nagnoi. They will offer basic computer courses for the participants.

Ambrose Ramsahai, general manager of Microsoft in Puerto Rico, added that the close relationship Microsoft have with their partners enables their integration in social responsibility projects to help minimized the digital gap and create more impact in the community of Cantera.

Microsoft's compromise with the technological development of the community Cantera is part of the program "Potencial Ilimitados" (Unlimited Potential Program), intended to enrich and fortify the educative experience of Puerto Rican youngsters, from communities economically marginalized, through the access of information technology resources. With this Cyber Cafe they add 21 projects distributed by through the Island from Guaynabo to Ponce, and from Humacao to Mayagüez, including Vieques and Culebra.