Former U.S. President Bill Clinton urged Argentines Tuesday to support a foundation dedicated to connecting all of the country’s public schools to the Internet and providing them with relevant content.
"Moving into the new economy requires investment and more attention to the digital divide," Clinton said at an educational fundraiser in Buenos Aires. "We will not be doing the poor people any favors by delaying their access to this technology."
The event was organized by Argentina’s education ministry together with the Varsavsky Foundation to raise funds and collect used computers to improve connectivity and the use of Internet in the classroom.
Martín Varsavsky, a 40-year-old Argentine entrepreneur who fled a military dictatorship in the 1970’s and is now a telecommunications mogul in Europe, recently donated $11 million to create the educational Web site Educ.ar, which would be used by the country’s students. Varsavsky is now pushing for the private sector to pitch in by donating more money and computers to the schools.
Fernando "Aito" De la Rua, the son of Argentina’s president Fernando de la Rua, directs the project.
Varsavsky brought Clinton to Argentina to help promote the nonprofit venture, and according to local press reports, the former U.S. president was paid $140,000 for his 40-minute presentation.
"A poor child’s life is going to be changed because of access to a computer and a Web page," he said.
Guests had to shell out $1,000 to access the event and were asked to donate a used computer to be sent to an Argentine public school. The nonprofit group raised $250,000 from the event, according to press reports.
After his presentation, Clinton met with Argentine President Fernando de la Rua and toured the city’s old quarters.
This is Clinton’s second visit to Argentina. His first was during an official tour of Latin America in the mid-'90s, during the 1989-1999 administration of former Argentine president Carlos Menem.
