WHAT CDI IS

The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology (CDI) is a non-governmental, non-profit organization which, since 1995, has developed pioneer work in promoting social inclusion by using information technology as a tool for building active citizenship.  

Through its Information Technology and Citizen Rights Schools (ITCRSs), created mainly in partnership with community organizations, CDI implements educational programs both in Brazil and abroad, aiming at mobilizing excluded segments of  society and helping them to transform their reality.

The organization develops projects to assist low-income communities, individuals with special needs, the mentally disabled, homeless children, indigenous populations and prison communities, among others.

CDI believes that the expertise in new technologies not only produces job opportunities and generates income, but also enables the access to sources of information and environments intended to foster social interaction, which results in a collective search for solutions to the problems faced by the communities.

CDI’s objective is to promote the social appropriation of information technology by different types of audiences, using it as a tool to stimulate active citizenship and entrepreneurship, fostering political, social and economic development in the countries where the organization operates.

In tune with this proposal, we encourage freedom of choice, and work with both proprietary and open software, seeking to provide students with the possibility to choose the most suitable tools according to their needs.