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Lifelong Learning Is Goal of Microsoft Commitment to
Digital Inclusion

Through digital inclusion programs such as Partners
in Learning and Unlimited Potential, Microsoft helps individuals and
communities underserved by technology meet the "knowledge economy's"
growing demand for highly educated, highly skilled workers.

REDMOND, Wash., April 27, 2005 -- Early this year, Reyna Estela
Ramos de Valenzuela opened a business of her own -- Cybercafé Compudiver,
a cybercafé run out of her garage in Guatemala City, Guatemala that offers
Internet access, graphic design solutions, printing and scanning
assistance, and other services.

De Valenzuela, who suffers from a nervous disorder and a
limited-mobility health condition, received technology and
entrepreneurship training from the Community Technology Training Centers
for the Disabled (CTTCD), sponsored by Microsoft and Trust for the
Americas, a nonprofit institution of the Organization of American States
(OAS).

Today at the Microsoft Government Leaders Conference for the Americas
in Washington, D.C., Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill
Gates announced a partnership agreement with the OAS to provide technology
and workforce skills training to Latin American youth and adults with
disabilities. Through Microsoft’s digital inclusion program called
Unlimited Potential, a total of US$423,000 will be donated to the OAS for
the development of the Partnership in Opportunities for Employment through
Technology (POET) program, which aims to provide people with disabilities
or impairments the ability to learn about information and communications
technology, use the Internet to further their education, explore careers
and participate in community activities. Additionally, POET will help
individuals by helping them seek job placements in the public and private
sectors.

"I’ve heard stories that truly amaze me, and that motivate me to fight
to reach my goals," said Marlin Cifuentes, a 25-year-old student of
psychology and a volunteer at the CTTCD in Mixco, Guatamala, who has polio
in both of her legs. "I have the opportunity to help others that, like me,
are also disabled, but they have not had the chance to free themselves
from the confinement caused by ignorance and fear from what others may say
or do to ridicule you."

The mission of Trust for the Americas reflects the central goals of the
OAS -- mobilizing resources to confront extreme poverty; promote democracy
through actions that are environmentally, economically and socially
sustainable; and promote the development of disabled individuals in Latin
America through educational programs that provide them with the necessary
skills to obtain employment and become active members of society.

"Today, approximately 50 million people in Latin America are disabled,
80-90 percent are unemployed or outside the workforce, and 82 percent live
in poverty," said Eugenio Beaufrand, vice president of Microsoft Latin
America and the Caribbean. "As an industry leader and responsible
corporate citizen, we feel it is our duty to help all members of the
population benefit socially and economically from the use of
technology."

Microsoft’s donation will be used to set up, launch, and provide
administration for 12 community-based technology learning centers (CTLCs)
in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and
Argentina. Disabled individuals will gather to access and learn about
technology at the centers, which will be fully equipped with Microsoft
software and accessibility features for the visually, hearing and
physically impaired.

Realizing Potential in the Classroom

Microsoft's partnership with the OAS is part of a continuum of programs
and partnerships created to achieve Microsoft's goal of broadening digital
inclusion -- expanding global access to technology -- and bringing the
benefits of technology and technology skills to 250 million people by the
year 2010.

Other efforts include the Partners in Learning initiative, through
which the company is working with 92 national governments to increase
access to technology and technology skills to schools and educators,
providing software and helping to improve and expand teacher training. One
of these projects is Innovative Teachers, available in 27 countries, which
provides teachers with training in enhancing learning in the classroom
using software and encourages them to create "communities of innovation"
in their schools.

In Egypt, the Junior Developers project, which currently enrolls 3,000
students in a three-year summer program on programming skills, has been so
well received that Microsoft is planning to expand the program.

In China, Microsoft has partnered with the government to distribute an
IT skills curriculum, including lesson plans and materials, to spread
computer literacy to the country's 250 million primary and secondary
students. Also, Microsoft is supporting the establishment of three
computer labs in each of China's 31 provinces, including networked PCs and
high-speed Internet access.

Refurbished Computers Provide New Opportunities

In addition to Microsoft's partnership agreement with OAS, the company
today also announced the expansion of the Microsoft Authorized
Refurbishment (MAR) program. Previously available only in the U.S.,
Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Australia, MAR is now being made
available worldwide. The program authorizes computer refurbishers to
reinstall the Microsoft Windows operating system onto donated used PCs
destined for schools and nonprofit organizations. Commercial refurbishers
will now be eligible to participate in the expanded program, which was
previously open to nonprofit refurbishers only.

Each year, millions of computers are discarded by businesses and other
organizations. The International Association of Electronics Recyclers
estimates that by 2010, 1 billion units of computer equipment will have
been decommissioned worldwide. According to the International Business
Leaders Forum's Digital Partnership survey, in the next three years,
another 1 million computers will be retired by just 20 global corporations
in the U.S. and Europe alone. On average, these PCs are only three years
old, which makes PC refurbishment one of the best ways to provide
computers to schools, charities and other nonprofit organizations.

To date, Microsoft has donated 103,000 licenses in North America
through MAR programs, which were launched in 2002 in response to requests
from the refurbishment, education and nonprofit communities. In April
2004, the program was expanded to include Europe, the Middle East and
Africa. Organizations, both commercial and nonprofit, can join the MAR
program (see Related Links, right).

Lifelong Learning

Microsoft launched the Unlimited Potential initiative in 2003 after
consulting with governments and development agencies, which wanted public
and private partnerships to help develop the workforce skills of adults --
particularly those disadvantaged groups of adults who are outside of
traditional school settings. Microsoft now partners with 445 organizations
in 89 countries to set up and support thousands of community centers where
people learn IT skills.

The Unlimited Potential learning centers are tailored to each of the
countries in which they operate. In India, the focus is on developing the
workforce skills of women; in Southern Africa, Microsoft is working with
the UN Development Program to explore innovative ways that technology can
best support those HIV/AIDS ravaged countries.

Since May 2003, Microsoft has invested $42.9 million in cash and $75.1
million in software (a total of $118 million) in Unlimited Potential
programs operating in 89 countries, with additional grants still being
approved.

"Microsoft will continue to work to create innovative technology
solutions to broaden digital inclusion," said Pamela Passman, vice
president of global corporate affairs at Microsoft. "By partnering with
others in supporting technology education, skills and access, we can
create opportunities for those who are underserved by technology and help
raise the living standards for people around the world."

Related Links

Press Releases:

Bill
Gates Announces Expanded Efforts for Public and Private Sector
Collaboration on Government Services and Digital Inclusion
Initiatives - April 27, 2005

Microsoft
Announces Worldwide Expansion of Authorized Refurbisher Program -
April 27, 2005

Executive Keynotes:

Bill
Gates at Microsoft Government Leaders Forum Americas - April 27,
2005 (Transcript, on-demand webcast)

Videos:

Microsoft Unlimited Potential Video (2 mins., 48 secs.): 56
kbs | 300
kbs

Feature Stories:

Technology
Training Transforms Lives and Careers With Help from Microsoft Unlimited
Potential Program - April 21, 2004

Projects
in Afghanistan, Egypt and Morocco Supported by Microsoft Unlimited
Potential - January 23, 2004

New
Unlimited Potential Giving Program Focuses on Aid to Organizations that
Support Life-Long Learning Opportunities for Underserved Communities
- September 4, 2003

Microsoft Resources:

Microsoft
Community Affairs Web site

Microsoft
Citizenship: Digital Inclusion and Education

Microsoft
Authorized Refurbisher Donation Program

Refurbisher Program
Membership Information