A Community Technology Center Opened in Hato Mayor

A Community Technology Center Opened in Hato Mayor
Yerba Buena, Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic, March 1, 2012

Altagracia Suriel reported that in the five centers that have been installed in different municipalities within the province, some 700 people have received basic literacy and over 12,000 have been trained in different topics.

The Office of the First Lady, under the direction of Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, delivered today the sixth Community Technology Center (CTC) in this province, totaling 78 centers throughout the country,…

The Office of the First Lady, under the direction of Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández, delivered today the sixth Community Technology Center (CTC) in this province, totaling 78 centers throughout the country,each of which provides the city council members with the opportunity to receive training and have access to new information and communication technologies (ICTs).

The Director of the DPD Social Programs, AltagraciaSuriel, on behalf of the First Lady,said that with this new CTC everyone has accessto all the new technological tools that foster personal, family and community progress.

“Every space that the CTC provides is adequate to meet the individual and collective needs of all the members of the family and the community,” Mrs.Suriel emphasized, noting that the lower income inhabitants, as well as thesmall-scale farmers and entrepreneurs, have made progress by using the technologies that are available in the five CTCs that are located in different municipalities of the province.

She pointed out that in these five centers some 700 people have received basic literacy and 12,000 have been trained in different topics.

During the event the Governor of the province, Lucas Familia, thanked the First Lady for the delivery of the center, which, he added, will benefit mostly the students in the community.

Dileyni Díaz Peña, on behalf of the youth of Yerba Buena, thanked Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández for the delivery of the center. “With the opening of this center a flower has been born, the flower of development, the flower of dignity, the flower of hope,” she stated.

She added that, for young people, the center means opportunity, growth, progress and the firm intention of becoming more competitive.

Likewise, the Coordinator of the Management Board, Rafael Santana Rosario, argued that the community is dressed in full regaliabecause of the legacy that has been left in their hands by the Office of the First Lady, whichelevates them to the same level of the most advanced communities in the country and the world.

CTC facilities and educational offer

This CTC is equipped with a modern network made of 30 computers connected to the Internet, which allow the area residents to have access to quality educational programs as well as to books and encyclopedias in the document library and through several virtual libraries.

In addition, in this center, community members will take digital literacy classes, will have access to databases, fax, educational programs through the Internet, and to sources of information on employment.

For boys and girls, between the ages of three and five years old, the CTCprovides a Space for Hope, where the little ones will receive a comprehensive education which would allow them to reach their maximum potential in cognitive, motor, communication, and social skills.  This space has been approved by the Ministry of Education.

The center also has a CTC Radio, with Modular Frequency (FM), which is a space for dialogue, integration, and participation for all.  Its programming includes 70% educational content, used to develop topics of local interest, emphasizing those related to all sorts of abuse and child labor, …

The center also has a CTC Radio, with Modular Frequency (FM), which is a space for dialogue, integration, and participation for all.  Its programming includes 70% educational content, used to develop topics of local interest, emphasizing those related to all sorts of abuse and child labor, preventing disease and teen pregnancy, information for housewives, and environmental care and conservation, among others.

Among other facilities, the new CTC has offices, an information area, a conference room and a multi-purpose room for meetings and for planning educational and cultural activities that benefit the community.

The goal of the CTCs that have been installed by the Office of the First Lady around the country is toensure that Dominicans have access to the infinite world of knowledge that is available through the Internet, the fastest method of communicating with the rest of the country and with the rest of the world, and to preparefor competing in the 21st century, which is the century of knowledge and information.