Computer Literacy

A tool for inclusion

Project teaches construction workers computer skills

written by: Rodrigo Vilar
photo by: Américo Vermelho

Rio de Janeiro, Friday, November 20, 7:30 pm. After yet another workday at the Ipanema Metro jobsite, a group of 12 workers enters a classroom full of computers at the entrance to their accommodations. They may be tired, but the atmosphere is enthusiastic. The group greets the teacher and fans out to sit at the computers. Another Caia na Rede (“Hit the Net”) IT literacy class is about to begin. The result of a partnership between Odebrecht, Microsoft Brazil and Dell Computers, the aim of this project is to teach computer skills to construction workers and community members.

Concrete technician Josué Januário Barbosa, 60, is the oldest member of the group. He was introduced to the digital world two months ago, when he booted up a computer for the first time during one of those classes. “I have kids who work with these machines and grandkids who play on them, so I knew they were out there, but I’d never gone near one before. Now I want to buy a computer and learn even more,” says Josué, who proudly adds: “Now I have an e-mail address.”

The project has given the students’ self-esteem a visible boost. Despite starting from scratch, some of them have made remarkable progress. “I have 90 friends on my Orkut page [Orkut is the most popular social networking site in Brazil]. I also use MSN [the instant messaging program] to chat with my family in Bahia. Right now, it’s the easiest way for me [to keep in touch with them] and the one I use the most,” says Adalton Coelho Moreira, 26. He adds that he also uses the Internet to stay informed and up-to-date: “It’s a good way to see what’s in the papers.” Adalton is clearly emotional as he recalls: “I have a 12-year-old nephew who has surfed the web for over three years, and me, I was 26, and I didn’t know anything about it. It was embarrassing.”

According to Wilson Busanello, the officer Responsible for Administration and Finance for the Ipanema Metro Project, Caia na Rede’s success is due to the participants’ individual efforts. “I know it’s not easy, after a whole day of hard physical labor, to sit down for a 90-minute class after supper. The IT groups’ dedication makes me very proud.”

“I know it’s not easy, after a whole day of hard physical labor, to sit down for a 90-minute class after supper. The IT groups’ dedication makes me very proud”
[ Wilson Busanello ]



In Brazil, 47% of the population has never used a computer and 59% has never logged onto the Internet. In the construction industry, only 6% of people have access to computers and only 3.5% use the Internet, according to the Center for Research on Information Technology and Communications and the Digital Divide Map of the Brazilian Economics Institute. The Caia na Rede project is part of this reality and aims to help 22,500 people in Brazil become IT literate, including 10,000 workers involved in heavy construction projects at 48 Odebrecht jobsites and 10,000 residents of communities in the vicinity of those projects. “The importance of information technology in the world of work is enormous. By enabling low-income communities and workers to enter the digital world, we are giving them an opportunity to boost their social and economic development,” says Paulo Quaresma, the Odebrecht officer Responsible for People and Organization at the Vice Presidency for Infrastructure in Brazil.

Caia na Rede is present in eight Brazilian states where Odebrecht is participating in a total of 17 construction projects. Another sphere of operations for Caia na Rede is the Southern Bahia Lowlands, one of the neediest parts of the northeastern state of Bahia. It is already teaching IT skills to 744 people through five projects. The goal is to increase that number to 1,100 rural children and adolescents and 1,400 members of local communities.