The Voilà Foundation announced today a $50,000 contribution to support NetHope Academy’s ICT Internship program to create full time job opportunities for unemployed Haitian computer science students and provide the NGO community with much needed IT specialists to assist in their post earthquake re-building efforts.

1. Voilá Foundation Partners with NetHope to Support Haitian IT Students and
NGO Community
Innovative program paves the way to sustainable job creation
October 25, 2010 - The VoilàFoundation announcedtodaya$50,000 contributiontosupport NetHope
Academy’sICTInternshipprogram tocreate full time jobopportunitiesforunemployedHaitian
computerscience students andprovide the NGOcommunitywithmuchneededITspecialiststoassistin
theirpostearthquake re-buildingefforts. The six-monthpaidinternshipprogramis housed atLa Ecole
Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haìti (ESIH),the leadingengineeringuniversityin Haiti,andaimstoplace
over60 studentsinfull-time employmentatitsconclusion. Inadditiontothe VoiláFoundation,
NetHope hasreceivedfundingandsupportfrom Microsoft,CiscoandAccenture.
DevelopedbyNetHope Academy,the programisalreadyunderway,initiallyemploying36internswho
spentthe firsttwo-weeksparticipatinginintensive bootcamp-style classroomtrainings atESIH before
beingdeployedtoreceive onthe jobtrainingwiththe ITdepartmentsof 14 international
nongovernmental organizations(NGOs). The programtargets to provide educationalopportunitiesfor
some of the mostdisadvantagedpopulationsinHaiti includinggirlsand nativesof rural cities and
addressesthe country’sdire needforskilledITprofessionals.
“The NetHope Academyandourmemberhumanitarianorganizationsare givingtheseyoungpeople an
incredibleopportunitytogethands-onworkexperience,whichwillalmostcertainlyguaranteethem
employmentatthe endof theirinternships,”saysFrankSchott,Directorof NetHope Academy.
The humanitariansectorisfacinga critical shortage of IT professionalsinHaiti.NGOstaffinghasrisen
from3,500 to 10,000 in-countryemployees,howeverthe numberof ITsupportstaff has notbeenable
to increase quicklyenoughtorespondtotheirneeds. The alreadyshallow resource pool of skilledIT
staff was furtherdepletedfollowingthe earthquakeandseverelylimitsrelief anddevelopmentefforts.
BernardFils-Aimé,presidentof the VoiláFoundation, saidthisimbalance createsgood jobopportunities
for Haiti’syouth andapplaudsNetHope’seffortsto bringtogetherthe rightpartnerstohelp fill acritical
need. “Haiti’syouthwantto workand contribute toHaiti’sprogressina meaningfulway,buttheyneed
education,trainingandexperience,”Fils-Aimé said. “The VoiláFoundationisproudtopartnerwith
NetHope andthe world’sleadingtechnologycompanies toprovide Haiti’syouth withlongterm
sustainable jobopportunities thatalsodirectlybenefitthe NGOcommunitywhoare helping rebuildour
country. The NetHope Academy representsthe type of publicprivate partnershipsHaiti needstomove
forwardina positive direction.”
The internshiptrainingwill be gearedtowardsdesktopsupportfunctions, hardware maintenance and
simple networkadministration.Those thataccelerate throughthe core curriculumwill be givenample
opportunitytoextendtheirknowledgethroughadditional advancedcourses,thankstothe

2. contributionsof MicrosoftandCisco whohave contributedfinancialresourcesandtrainingexpertiseto
the program. The NetHope Academyishoused atLa Ecole Supérieure d’Infotronique d’Haìti (ESIH) in
Port-au-Prince,the leadingengineeringuniversityinHaiti.The launchof the NetHope Academy
coincideswiththe reopeningof ESIHwhichwasdestroyedduringthe earthquake andfeaturesanewly
installed WindowsMultipointServerlab.
“Microsoft isinspiredbythese youngpeople whohave seenalotinthe lastyear,yetcontinue to
pursue theirdreamsforjobsinthe technologysector,”says LutzZiob,General Manager,Microsoft
Learning. “CultivatingskilledITprofessionalsiscritical to the ongoingrebuildingof Haiti,whichiswhy
we’re excitedtoworkwiththese individualstohelpthem earnMicrosoftCertifiedProfessional
certifications.”
AmyChristian,CiscoVice Presidentof Corporate Affairs agrees.“CiscoandNetHope have been partners
fromthe verybeginningwhenNetHope wasfoundedin2001. We are proudof our worktogetherand
the CiscoNetworkingAcademystandsreadytosupportNetHope andthese youngpeoplethatjustneed
a chance.”
You can learnmore about the program at www.nethope.org/academy
About NetHope
NetHope, Inc., which started in 2001, is a new-generation collaboration of the international community’s leading
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) representing over $33 billion (USD) of emergency relief, human
development and conservation programs in more than 150 countries. Through member collaboration and by
facilitating public-private partnerships with major technology companies, NetHope enables members to leverage
their technology investments to better serve their end beneficiaries. For more information, visit www.nethope.org.
About the Voilà Foundation
For over a decade, Voilà, one of Haiti's leading wireless communications service providers, has been
committed to improving the lives of the Haitian people through youth and education initiatives supported by
the Voilà Foundation, now an independent 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity in the United States. In December
2009,Voilà and parent company, Trilogy International Partners, based in Bellevue, Wash., received the
prestigious "Award for Corporate Excellence" from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in recognition of Voilà's
record of corporate social responsibility in Haiti. Following the tragic earthquake on Jan. 12, Voilà and Trilogy,
through The Voilà Foundation, will fund initiatives that provide immediate relief to the homeless and injured
and to underwrite programs that will deliver lasting social benefits.