Fundación Terra, through its incorporation into the Social Franchise POETA (Program of Economic Opportunities through Technology in the Americas), joins forces with the international organization The Trust For The Americas, in collaboration with Microsoft and the Nasser Foundation, to inaugurate the Digital Skills Center (POETA) at the Sustainable Development Institute of El Hatillo Village. This is the first of four POETA center that Fundación Terra will implement in Honduras during 2023 and subsequently in the region, in accordance with its commitments as a member of the Partnership for Central America (PCA).

The POETA Social Franchise aims to promote social and economic inclusion of vulnerable populations in Latin America and the Caribbean through access, use, and appropriation of in-person and virtual comprehensive educational technologies and strategies. Through training in digital life skills, POETA Centers help individuals achieve a better future by providing economic opportunities such as obtaining employment, advancing in their jobs, launching a micro-enterprise, or continuing their studies.

By implementing the POETA Center at the Sustainable Development Institute, 18 nearby communities will benefit, including El Reparto, La Estanzuela, La Canaán, Lomas del Hatillo, Carpintero, San Antonio, Hatillo, Lo de Ponce, Corralitos, Limones, Matasano, Primavera, La Puente, Jutiapa, Piligüin, Cantadora, Crucitas del Picacho, and Las Matas. The POETA center will reach approximately 35,000 inhabitants who can access and make use of technology to strengthen their capabilities, skills, and abilities, aiming for economic growth, promotion of employment opportunities, and entrepreneurship in their communities.

Lara Bersano Calot, Communication Director of The Trust for the Americas, highlighted during the center's opening ceremony that "The work of the digital skills centers we develop at The Trust for the Americas began in Central America in 2004. Since then, we have impacted more than 4 million people in 27 countries, and in 2023, we are proud to inaugurate our 361st center with Fundacion TERRA, Fundación Nasser, and Microsoft. The network to which the POETA Center at the Sustainable Development Institute belongs is a network of 361 entities seeking to improve the lives of hundreds of people in each of their communities. Through this network, you will have access to updated technologies and content, Microsoft licenses, content to develop as individuals and entrepreneurs, and above all, access to a human group of professionals who are constantly thinking of solutions and methodologies to support each person in our region, empowering them and improving their development capacity."

The POETA Center will be available during daytime hours from Monday to Saturday for children, youth, and adults from different communities near the Sustainable Development Institute, providing access to training and education platforms. Access to content includes, among others:

• Digital Literacy
• Computer Science
• Employment and Entrepreneurship Skills
• Life Skills

Microsoft, as a partner of The Trust for the Americas, also provides Software Licenses (Windows and Office Suite).

Architect Fredy Nasser, President of Fundación Terra, commented: "We are pleased to open the doors of this POETA Center, through which we will continue our commitment to work towards creating conditions that facilitate access to connectivity for educational purposes in El Hatillo village. We are confident that through this center, the inhabitants of the communities will gain new skills and abilities that will enable them to access jobs that contribute to their economic growth."

Mariel Rivera, Executive Director of Terra Foundation, stated: "At Terra Foundation, alongside The Trust for the Americas, we will continue to collaborate in the implementation of the first 4 POETA Centers in Honduras, to generate comprehensive and inclusive educational opportunities with digital competencies and life skills, with the aim of shaping citizens committed to the development of their surroundings.