Under the patronage of Ms. Mervat M. Tallawy, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCWA, a group of international companies, government entities and national and international NGOs joined forces in the southern city of Nabatiyeh to launch the PCA ICT Academy (PICTA), an ICT development project which aims to transform the lives of thousands of families throughout Lebanon.Other dignitaries who attended the event included HE Yassin Jaber, Member of the Lebanese Parliament as well as several officials representing government entities, NGOs and the private sector.

Over the next few weeks, fully equipped and staffed training and technology centers will be opened in seven towns - at the rate of one every week. The first one will be hosted in the Kamel Youssef Jaber Cultural and Social Club in Nabatiyeh and will be followed by centers in Hasbayyah, Burj Al Barajneh, Qana, Bent Jbeil, Marjeyoun Baalbeck and Batroun. Three additional centers are planned within the next months.

Each center is designed to help local community members use computer technology and the Internet to connect with their loved ones in Lebanon and around the world, train young people to develop their ICT skills and thus open up potential job prospects, and to enhance the lives of whole communities through access to the latest communications technology.

Intel will supply PCs for the centers, Cisco will provide the connectivity and Microsoft will provide the software, training and curriculum. International NGOS IESC (International Executive Service Corps) and Merci Corps will respectively deliver equipment and logistical support. The entire project was developed and driven by the Professional Computer Association of Lebanon (PCA) and supported by a far reaching range of organizations including Lebanon’s Ministries of Telecom, Administrate Reform and Economy & Trade, as well as IDAL, ESCWA, UNESCO, Ijma3, WIT, and AMCHAM.

‘We are very pleased to have seen such a unique initiative come to fruition through an unprecedented collaboration amongst a diverse group of organizations,’ said Jallal Fawaz, President of the PCA. ‘This is proof of the great potential that public-private partnership can bring to communities through technology. We look forward to working with all of our partners to build on this initiative and make it sustainable through continued cooperation, where each of them will have the opportunity to contribute in their specific area of expertise.’

For Intel, the program is one of a number of schemes it is undertaking in Lebanon as part of Intel Digital Transformation Initiative in the Middle East and under its global ‘World Ahead Program’ which aims at enhancing lives by accelerating access to uncompromised technology for all, with its main focus on people in the world’s developing communities.

Dania El-Kadi, Marketing Manager of Intel commented: ‘We believe it is our duty to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives, especially for the young through these challenging times. We are happy to be part of the PICTA initiative in Lebanon.

‘The World Ahead Program is designed to integrate and extend Intel’s efforts to advance progress in three areas: accessibility, connectivity and education. Intel’s goal is not only to extend affordable PC access but to develop the right PCs tailored to local needs, drive critical connectivity, cultivate sustainable local capabilities and provide the necessary education to make this happen. PICTA is a key part of our drive to extend digital accessibility to remote communities.’

Commenting on the new community IT training and development project in Lebanon, Charles Nahas, General Manager for Microsoft Eastern Mediterranean and Pakistan said: ‘Microsoft is committed to helping give people the opportunity to improve their lives. The PICTA initiative is a prime example of what can and should be done to enhance the prospects of those in need and we are delighted to be associated with it.’

Topics covered in the training provided at the new centers will initially include word processing, spreadsheet and database development, web research and design, as well as IT systems maintenance and training on the Lebanese e-government gateway (INFORMS). Training on the Microsoft Unlimited Potential program and Internet access and use will also be given. Access to the centers will be free.

Ijma3, the Union of Arab ICT associations sees this project as a model that can be applied throughout the region.