The result of a partnership established between Odebrecht S.A., Microsoft, Dell and the telephone service provider Oi, the Hit the Net project is designed to promote digital inclusion with free computer classes that offer the community information and basic computer skills. In the Bahia Southern Lowlands, the initiative has already benefitted 4,800 youth through the Bahia Southern Lowlands Environmental Protection Area Mosaic Program for Development and Growth Integrated with Sustainability (PDCIS), supported by the Odebrecht Foundation and public and private partners.

Inspired by the results already achieved with this project, the Bahia Norte Concessionaire– an Odebrecht TransPort asset responsible for 121 km of highways that connect seven municipalities in the Metropolitan Region of Salvador – implemented Hit the Net in the community of Menino de Jesus, in Candeias. João Paulo was one of the 45 graduates, with ages ranging from 15 to 29, who completed the course on January 10. “I was able to learn more about the Internet and certain computer programs,” said João Paulo.

The training was conducted by the Bahia Southern Lowlands Sustainable Development Institute (IDES), an institution associated with PDCIS. For the Project Coordinator, Frede Bomfim, the end of the course represents the start of another important phase for these youth. “The delivery of the diploma is the consolidation of a joint effort, a triumph that will transport them to a world full of possibilities,” said Bomfim.

The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Bahia Norte Concessionaire, Menino de Jesus Community Organization Center (CORCOMEJ), Odebrecht Foundation, ITS Brasil and Dell. “We believe that the partnership between private initiative, the government and civil society organizations is an important solution for eradicating digital exclusion,” said Leana Mattei, Social-Environmental Development Advisor at the Bahia Norte Concessionaire.