##  Opportunities for Disadvantaged Children and Youths. 

The Foundation for Children and Youths (Opportúnitas) is an interesting
example of how to build alliances among national and international
partners. Since 1998, Opportúnitas has promoted and implemented
innovative programs to create more opportunity for Venezuelan children
and youths. In a country where more than 50% of the population is under
30 and the official unemployment rate is 20%, addressing the economic
future of young people is critical to stability.

Opportúnitas\' success can be attributed to two basic principles. First,
you must have a clear, realistic vision of how you bring together the
goals of the different actors, both beneficiaries and partners. Second,
you must encourage business participation by highlighting its potential
to be positively recognized which in turn could motivate other public
and/or private organizations to participate. Consequently, Opportúnitas
found a third principle \-- that businesses were ultimately interested
in more than the recognition they would gain by participating in the
program. They were also inherently interested in the population that
comprised their future workers and consumers.

**The Participants.*\
***Based on these principles, Opportúnitas set out to develop ambitious
plans to improve the lives of Venezuelan youth. With its clearly
articulate vision, Opportúnitas attained significant financial and
advisory support from the private and public sectors. From the local
private sector, Opportunitas established relationships with Sincrudos de
Oriente (SINCOR), CANTV, Banco Federal, Banco de Venezuela, Shell de
Venezuela, Ruedas Aluminio (Rualca), Cerámicas Carabobo, and the
Asociación Bancaria de Venezuela. Contributions were both financial and
participation as Board Members. From the public sector it received
support from Petroléos de Venezuela (PDVSA), the Government of Carabobo
and the Office of the Mayor of Baruta. Finally, in a country with
limited international donor presence, Opportúnitas developed significant
contacts with international organizations both public and private. They
included the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), the International Youth
Foundation (IYF), Lucent Technologies, JP Morgan Chase Bank, the
International Women's Forum, and Microsoft.

# PDVSA. Why has Opportúnitas has significant success creating partnerships with the private sectors? Consider its relationship with PDVSA. As an international energy corporation owned by the Venezuelan government, PDVSA conducts operational and commercial activities in Venezuela and abroad. After 27 years of operation, PDVSA is one of the world\'s most important energy companies, with assets of approximately 860 million dollars.  PDVSA had an eight-year, co-financing agreement with the IAF to co-fund self-help development projects in Venezuela. As a result of that agreement, PDVSA as evolved its concept of Social Investment. That evolution included moving from a top-down social attitude to a responsive one; from a case-by-case focus, based on isolated contributions, to a competitive program devoted to sustainable development; and from an isolated philanthropic effort to one of responsibility shared through tri-sectorial alliances. In 1999 PDVSA funded Opportúnitas' program activities in the State of Anzoátegui under a three-year, 110,000 bolivar grant. 

The purpose of the grant is to promote the generation of income and
employment for young people. Opportúnitas conducted a feasibility study
to determine the economic potential in four municipalities in the State
of Anzoátegui. Specifically, Opportúnitas wanted to align employment
needs with training opportunities offered to youths by the various
organizations in the region. As a result of this effort, a series of
traditional jobs to include: plumbing, electrical work, and tourism were
identified as priority human resources by the local business market.
Opportúnitas then worked to ensure it provided the appropriate training
to maximize the potential for these young people to obtain and/or
generate their own employment.\
\
***CANTV.\
***To execute its program in Caracas, Opportúnitas developed a strategic
alliance with CANTV, Venezuela's largest telecommunications company. In
conjunction with CANTV its affiliates \-- Movilnet, Cantv.net, and
Caveguías \-- offer their clients comprehensive solutions for their
telecommunications needs, be they for wireless, fixed, data
transmission, Internet, or information services and telephone
directories.\
\
CANTV\'s CSR efforts focus on grants to community organizations that
support on-going programs dedicated to Venezuelan children and youth.
The alliance with CANTV was officially established in 2001 with a
contribution of 40 million bolivars. The project goal was to consolidate
a replicable model for training impoverished youths in vocational
technology. Ultimately, the program hoped to create more job
opportunities for these urban youth.

**The Project with the IAF.\
**In 2000, the IAF made a grant to Opportúnitas to capitalize on the
strategic corporate alliances it had made. The grant focused on four
basic activities: establishing three regional committees that would
support local groups implementing programs for children and youths;
training local groups to enable them to more effectively and efficiently
formulate, operate, and coordinate youth programs; providing financial
resources to establish three regional funds to finance local initiatives
for children and youths; creating publicity campaigns to promote
Opportúnitas goals in the states where it was active.

Over two years, more than 1,400 children and youth participated in the
program. Each state drew different issues to be addressed based on the
local needs. For example, in Caracas, Opportúnitas focused its efforts
on diminishing the technology gap by training low-income, youths and
teachers in basic information and communication technology tools. In the
State of Anzoátegui, however young people were trained in more
traditional jobs that fell outside the petroleum sector and focused on
self-employment. Finally, in the State of Carabobo, the program focused
on inserting disadvantaged children and youth into society through a
comprehensive training program that addresses personal, social,
educational, and cultural development.

The programs were further reinforced as they established networks and
regional committees to support the various local groups undertaking
projects for children as well as those directing regional strategies to
benefit this same population.

# The Beneficiaries. The success of these alliances will be judged insofar as they result in jobs and attaining skills desired by potential employers. In the State of Anzoátegui, training was tied specifically to local demand; however in Caracas, the program has a broader vision which is reflected in the training of youth for more global job requirements as it is a technology driven program. 

To date, the program has had strong results in the State of Anzoátegui.
Participants in the program have been placed in jobs or have generated
their own employment. Furthermore, the grassroots organizations,
*Asociación Capacitación Educativa, Vocacional y Productiva* and
*Asociación Paragüero,*, which worked with these youths can clearly see
an improved level of self esteem and positive feedback from society and
families.

In Caracas, two courses were taught: one to train the young people the
other to train their teachers. Youth were trained in preventive and
corrective PC maintenance. Tecnoscopio allowed the participants to
repair computers at its office. Teachers were taught in the use of
information and communication technologies to enhance their skills and
enable them to use these abilities in the teaching and learning
processes. The future of the program looks as bright as it's past. There
are plans to engage the communities through establishing \"School Data
Transmission Centers.\" Selected teaching and management personnel will
be trained by Red Interactiva Educativa C.A. (RIE-DUC).

Although the situation faced by Venezuelan youths is very serious,
Opportúnitas, armed with a clearly articulated vision and strong private
sector alliances, is helping to find a way out for Venezuela\'s most
disadvantaged youths.

**Lessons Learned:**

-   Imitation is the highest form of a compliment; social investment
    programs that seek corporate support should find prestigious
    partners that will attract others;

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-   Alliances that bring together several partners benefit from a
    clearly articulated plan as well as in-depth analysis of how to tie
    together individual partner and overall program goals;

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-   Having the financial and technical support of various national and
    international actors ensures a sound basis for project development.

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  ***Guillermina Ferrero**. Degree in Psychology, Andrés Bello Catholic
  University. Specialist in Organizational Development, Andrés Bello
  Catholic University. Specialist in Project Management, Andrés Bello
  Catholic University. Specialist in the design and follow-up of projects
  on sexual and reproductive health in adolescents. Assessor for
  PROactiva.*

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