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November 29, 2004 Vol. 75, no. 9F
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| A visitor learns basic
computing skills at one of the computing centers located in Brazil’s
urban slums and rural areas. CS Ph.D. candidate and Brazilian native
Rodrigo Fonseca worked on a research team there that studied the
impact such computer centers have on local populations. |
CS Ph.D.
candidate studies impact of computing centers on Brazilian poverty
In this year’s acclaimed
movie, “City of God,” the main character escapes a life of
poverty, violence, and drug trafficking endemic to Brazilian favelas
(urban slums) by becoming a photographer.
While a camera rescues the hero, real favela residents are finding their
own ticket out via computers. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
like the Committee for Democratizing Information Technology (CDI) have
set up neighborhood computing centers where residents use computers
and take classes in basic computer operation, word processing, and spreadsheet
use. The goal is to help adults get jobs and show children the value
of an education so they stay in school.
Good intentions, but is it working? CS Ph.D. candidate and Brazilian
native Rodrigo Fonseca wanted to find out.
“There was criticism in Brazil that these organizations should
be spending money on food not computers,” says Fonseca. “So
we wanted to see if there was any measurable outcome.”
For three weeks this summer, he and three other graduate students entered
the insular and dangerous world of favelas to observe people using computers
and then designed a study to evaluate the centers’ impact. Their
research was supported by a Berkeley-UNIDO fellowship.
 Once
there, the team learned to work within the local way of doing things.
“We couldn’t email them and ask a couple questions,”
says Fonseca. “You have to be there, have a sip of coffee, and
have dinner with them before you start to get information.”
The team found anecdotal examples of success, like Leandro Farias, a
poor youth from one of the favelas who took classes at a CDI center,
learned enough to work there as a monitor, and stayed in school. Eventually,
he got accepted into university, where he’s now studying sociology
and running a computing cooperative that provides networking and computer
services for favelas.
After collecting and analyzing the data, the team found that some computer
knowledge helps with a job search, community interaction, and schoolwork.
It couldn’t conclude, however, that CDI had measurably impacted
these outcomes.
“This was a hard thing,” says Fonseca. There could be several
reasons for the results, he says. The computer centers are only eight
or 10 years old, and the sample of users interviewed did not often include
people who work full-time, thus excluding those who could share that
they indeed got a job using their computer skills.
Nonetheless, Fonseca hopes to continue the research and stays hopeful
with his favorite memory: “Seeing those kids using computers and
talking about a future.”
Learn more about Berkeley-UNIDO intiatives at http://mot.berkeley.edu/Berkeley_Visitors/UN/UN_Page.htm
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