Comité para la Democratización de la Informática (CDI) is a non- profit organization created in Brasil in 1995 with the mission of promoting social inclusion by using information technologies as an instrument to construct citizenship. CDI works to develop  vulnerable communities by working in conjunction with institutions that support and provide services to these communities.

CDI uses information and communication technologies as an instrument to promote and stimulate the participation and mobilization of communities through the creation of a School of Informatics and Citizenship (Escuela de Informática y Ciudadania- EIC).  The schools operate under the belief that access to technologies not only opens work opportunities to the community but also enables residents to access to new sources of information that contribute to the collective solution of the social problems they face. The organization implements an educational model, trains and accompanies coordinators and teachers (comprised of memebers of the community) and promotes workshops and meetings to exchange learning experiences and promote interaction between the different actors.

Each school is an autonomus unit based on a model of self- management and financial sustainability. This is achieved throughout voluntary work, resources from organizations and companies and by charging the services that the school of informatics provides according to the economic capacity of the people who have access to the services.

In 2007 Genesis facilitated an alliance between Comité para la Democratización de la Informática (CDI) and HOPE, another of Genesis’ grantees, to implement CDI’s model in HOPE. A team from CDI trained a team in HOPE on the model and the results have been very positive for both organizations. The School of Informatics and Citizenship is now open for the community offering its services

 For more information about this organization or to make a donation, please contact us at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .