Impact Assessment for Data Network's Rehabilitation. Case of Ecuador
2021 IEEE International Humanitarian Technology Conference, IHTC 2021
; 2021.
Article
in English
| Scopus | ID: covidwho-1784505
ABSTRACT
Access to the Internet is necessary to ensure equity for the right to education. However, about 75% of school-age children in rural areas of the world do not have access to the Internet at home. In the Ecuadorian context, only 5.1% of the rural population uses the Internet in public/state schools. Therefore, actions are necessary to reduce the digital gap to improve the quality of education in rural communities in Ecuador. An initiative of IEEE Ecuador, with the support of IEEE SIGHT and the Municipality of Nabón, allowed the rehabilitation of a data network in 40 schools in the Nabón community in 2020. This paper examines the impact of the project, through of the collection of quantitative and qualitative data through stakeholder surveys, to evaluate the impact of data network rehabilitation in the community during the first year of operation. The results show that the Internet in schools has improved the quality of education for students, has allowed children and young people to have access to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has decreased the dropout rate in the benefited schools. The Internet service in schools has also allowed families to save money and entertain themselves. The paper also reports on the evaluation of the social impact of the project, through a Social Return On Investment (SROI) analysis. © 2021 IEEE.
Data network in rural areas; Social Return On Investment (SROI); sustainable development; Economic and social effects; Patient rehabilitation; Profitability; Data network; Data network in rural area; Ecuador; Impact assessments; Quality of education; Returns on investment; Rural community; Rural population; Social return on investment; Rural areas
Full text:
Available
Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
Scopus
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Ecuador
Language:
English
Journal:
2021 IEEE International Humanitarian Technology Conference, IHTC 2021
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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