Questions/Answers

The Better Connections Program is a ground breaking digital and social inclusion program that provides free training and access to ICT facilities for some 1.5 million low-skilled migrant workers at their places of accommodation in the State of Qatar. The project is based on a network of public and private partners and collaborators that include government ministries, large corporations, charitable organisations, employers, schools and universities. Using donated computers that are refurbished by school students in green computer clubs, the program enables low-skilled workers to gain an understanding of the benefits of online technology and teaches them basic IT skills, while also introducing them to social media platforms to keep in touch with family and friends in their home countries. Participants are also given access in their own languages to training in how to access online government services, health and safety information, labor laws, rights and responsibilities, and how to use ATMs and online money transfers. From a broader perspective, Better Connections supports migrant workers to be part of an integrated digital society in which everyone has equal access to technology and are part of the information society regardless of economic or social background

The project aims to - Provide free access to ICTs, - develop ICT skills in multi-languages, - provide access to tools and information via the internet, - provide access to Government Services through Hukoomi, the Government e-portal, in multi-languages, The project is implemented at no cost to migrant workers employed by manpower companies in Qatar as part of Government’s commitment to ensure all members of society are digitally included and have access to Government services. The project uses a sustainable model by deploying donated and refurbished computers that support the environment.

Better Connections aspires to the core values of the SDGs in harnessing ICT to create a sustainable and inclusive information society for all, regardless of economic or social background. SDG 1.4: We consider free access to the internet a basic right SDG 4.4, 17.8: Better Connections provides 1.5 million migrant workers with ICT skills giving them better employment opportunities in their own countries. SDG 9.C: Better Connections provides free access to computer labs at workers’ accommodation SDG 12.5: 15,000 used computers are donated, refurbished and deployed by the program SDG 12.8: Schoolchildren refurbish donated computers in Green Computer Clubs, giving children practical environmental awareness

There are approximately 1.5 million low-skilled migrant workers living in Qatar. They come from various developing countries and many lack ICT knowledge and experience, which can cause them to become marginalized in modern society. Whilst the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs (ADLSA) is proactive in ensuring the rights of workers and their welfare, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has taken its mandate related to digital inclusion further to reach this large underprivileged community (due to low wages, remote living areas and language barriers) to use technology to reduce the risk of social exclusion. As such, in order to address the challenges of inclusion for foreign workers who are an integral part of the development of the country, the Ministry of Transport and Communications has initiated a number of projects that highlight the importance of social responsibility and its role in the development of communities and individuals. The Better Connections Program is part of this inclusion strategy and is enabling low-skilled workers to gain an understanding of online technology, while also introducing them to social media platforms that help them keep in touch with family and friends in their home countries, and better integrate into Qatari society.

The scale of the project and the range of stakeholders who have come together to reach a large community, at risk of social exclusion, is a central innovation in this project. Furthermore, the impact of the project is not just on the main beneficiaries, the migrant workers, but also on the wider community; - employers, who have a better, happier and more informed workforce, - volunteers, who engage in social good and develop their skills in training - school children, who engage in environment protection whilst doing social good - the environment - computers are recycled and re-used instead of being destroyed

This original project was born from a clear need in a potentially marginalized community. Primary research was conducted of 1100 laborers to understand needs and a small pilot of two ICT facilities was started to test the concept. The project was started as a no cost project to government and set out to reach 200 ICT facilities in the first few years. As potential stakeholders saw the impact the project was instructed by the Ministers of two Ministries to become a national program with substantial support from stakeholders from the private, public and academic sectors.

Better Connections is a national digital inclusion initiative that has the potential to be replicated wherever there is a high number of socially excluded individuals who reside together in isolated communities. At the opening of the 750th ICT facility, Sharon Burrow, the Secretary General of the ITUC stressed that “the State of Qatar has become one of the leading countries in the Gulf to promote workers' interests and provide their needs, calling on other Gulf states to follow suit.” The opening of the facility was publicized in The Peninsula and other local Qatari newspapers on 9th Oct 2018.

The project costs QAR 5m, provided by Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs. The in-kind support from all the partners amounts to QAR 182m. The in-kind support is made up of donated computers, free Microsoft licenses, free internet connectivity, volunteers to implement the facilities and train the laborers, schools involvement in refurbishing computers and charities and universities support in monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment, and cost of the IT rooms.

The project was designed to be sustainable. The project is based on multi-stakeholder partnership where there is something to be gained by each partner ensuring its implementation and sustainability for the future. The project is based on large corporations wanting to dispose of their computers every 3-4 years so the supply of computers will continue. Volunteers form the basis of the manpower required for training and implementation and there is always a pool of volunteers willing to do social good (we have over 1,000 volunteers registered). Schools and volunteers are engaged in refurbishing computers, and volunteers undertake the training and implementation. Universities and charities are also involved ensuring there is positive impact for the most socially disadvantaged. In fact this project is now in the planning stages of the next three years to ensure the ICT facilities continue to be supported, old computers are replaced and new manpower companies coming to Qatar can join the program, so no one is left behind.

Yes

We have a detailed evaluation framework that includes monitoring, evaluation and impact of all the beneficiaries to the project (laborers, volunteers, digital champions, and employers). The team have developed a bespoke computer system that monitors all the data (barcoded computers, volunteers, employers, and green computer clubs). ROTA (Reach out to Asia), our evaluation partner, have developed 7 instruments to evaluate the effectiveness of the training and conduct pre- and post training surveys every six months. The Social and Economic Research Institute from Qatar University has conducted impact study of 860 laborers.

The evaluation conducted by ROTA addresses the following areas: 1. Access to the computer labs 2. Access to learning materials 3. Frequency of internet use 4. Confidence in using desktop computers 5. Confidence in accessing the internet 6. Areas of improvement 7. Use of the internet for entertainment 8. Sustainable internet connections 9. Support of trainers and digital champions 10. Independent users of technology 11. Improvement over six months

• 97% could access the materials online • 88% felt confident in using desktop computers • The highest significant improvement was in using the internet to communicate with family and friends (78%) followed by a significant improvement in mood and social wellbeing (70%) • 72% found the trainers and the digital champions to be very supportive • 94% considered themselves to be independent users of technology, the remainder needed more training • The strongest response for improvement over 6 months was in improved feelings of general happiness due to being more in touch with family (66%)

This project is an exemplary model of a multi stakeholder partnership to benefit laborers who are at risk of social and digital exclusion. The partnership results in low cost to government and zero cost to the beneficiaries. - ADLSA mandates to all companies that provide labor workforce to implement the project. - Government departments and large corporations donate computers and hardware that would normally be replaced and destroyed. - The Ministry of Education works with schools where pupils refurbish the computers in Green Computer Clubs. - Microsoft Qatar provides the necessary licenses to operate the computers. - Vodafone Qatar provides free unlimited internet connectivity to all the ICT facilities, for 15,000 computers. - Employers of the workers provide workspace and furniture at their accommodation facility plus cleaning and maintenance. - Reach Out to Asia (ROTA) provides volunteers and undertakes the monitoring and evaluation. - Alhaya Enviro, a private recycling company, removes the e-waste and disposes of it, free of charge to the project. - SESRI, the research arm of Qatar University conducts impact research. - RAF charity were engaged initially to provide storage and transportation of the computers. - Volunteers provide the training to the laborers.

The project is in the final stages of completion of 1500 facilities, which will provide access to 1.5 million workers, and all initial challenges have been addressed. The key to achieving high impact at low cost is to secure commitment from partners at the outset. However it is not easy to convince partners of the true value so the project had to prove the need first through thorough needs analysis and then to show impact at all stages. Better Connections phase 1 started with 2 ICT facilities, then phase 2 with 200 before it became a national sustainable multi-stakeholder project.