Community Empowerment Network

Please note that as of November 4, 2019 we are winding down operations. Thank you very much for your support over the years

We are a Puget Sound - based non-profit which empowers rural communities in developing countries acquire the skills and resources they need to generate income in the information-based economy on a sustainable basis. The first step is often to install needed infrastructure, such as power and information and communications technology ("ICT"). We then work with the communities to put these tools to work through skills development, improving access to capital and cultivating access to domestic and international markets for high value-add products. The founder, Robert Bortner, left an 11 year career at Microsoft in late 2001 to work on ways to use information technology as a tool for economic development. For several years he worked on a pro bono and "low bono" basis but finally incorporated as a non-profit in November 2004. In January 2006, CEN obtained IRS 501 c3 status. Since 2004 we have been continuing the work started by Mr. Bortner in the the Brazilian Amazon and are now working to replicate and expand to other communities in the region, as well as other countries.

The Community Empowerment Network ("CEN") assists rural communities in developing countries acquire skills, technology and other resources that empower them to address their development objectives in a proactive, independent, and sustainable manner. Our objective is to enable rural communities break their dependency on outside organizations, such as NGOs or government agencies that results from a lack of skills, confidence and resources and take charge of their own development. The first step is often to install needed infrastructure, such as power and ICT. We then work with the communities to put these tools to work. We have three main components to do this: 1. Community Portal of relevant information in a form they can use. 2. Exchanges between communities to share solutions they've already found. For example, one of the communities has a strong eco-tourism program and another is looking into starting one but is concerned about the impact it might have on the community. Through face to face meeting and electronic exchanges, the communities can exchange ideas. It's a lot more relevant then relying upon an outside "expert" 3. The 3rd program is our Capacity-building mentoring program. We work with the communities to learn skills by helping mentor them as they undertake projects, such as pursuing funding for the expansion of a community water system or organizing an HIV/STD workshop. Although we've also worked in SA, India, Laos, today we are focusing on communities in the Amazon. We currently have a pilot involving 3 communities and are in discussions about replicating this to a nearby set of communities. We foresee also scaling our work by working with communities which already have power or ICT. This will allow us to expand the power of the Rede Amazonia for all members. I t will also allow us to scale faster since the cost per community will be significantly lower. Within the next few years we would like to replicate our program to parts of Africa, particularly Portuguese-speaking Mozambique and Angola, where many of our tools and Brazilian contacts could be reused. Key needs we have today are: 1. Funding for the bio-diesel project in the Varzea. It is a replication of our existing work, with the incorporation of Indian community-scaled biodiesel technology, 2. Grow our board, 3. Form strategic partnerships with complementary organization which can give additional scale to our work. Additional volunteers to assist primarily with grant-writing, website management and marketing/promotion.