World ORT International Cooperation (IC) was established in 1960. In Latin America and the Caribbean, ORT IC programmes were run in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The latter was the first of numerous community development/early childhood programmes implemented in Latin America to develop a self-help social action plan to improve living conditions and to meet basic needs of deprived communities living in the poorest areas.

Pioneering programmes have been implemented for people with disabilities and educational programmes have provided critical skills development for different sectors. For example, ORT Chile has had a successful relationship with Coca-Cola, focusing on entrepreneurial skills and bringing investment and progress to the retail sector.

In Haiti, in response to the 2010 earthquake, ORT designed and delivered anti-seismic training for builders.

For more about the global IC programme see World ORT International Cooperation (IC) [link].

Click on a photo to view larger version and details.