Aren't computers almost luxurious items in Latin America, especially among the poorest, to which the EC is allegedly addressed?

Definitively, the penetration of computers in the region is not equivalent to that of the most developed countries. Nevertheless, Latin America registers the fastest growing rate of computerization in the world (around 70% per year.)
This process is encouraged by two phenomena:
- The cost-effectiveness of computers in solving problems that in the past needed more time and/or personnel.
- The massive presence of custom-made, very cheap "clone" PCs, made mostly out of Southeast Asian parts.

Even if there are some computers, isn't the connection to the Internet something rare, expensive and unreliable?

Actually, no. Thanks to the massive penetration of private investment -Particularly Telefonica, Telecom Italia and ATT-, the connection to the Internet has become very reliable and cheaper.
Of course, for most of the poorest people, having a computer and an Internet connection is completely out of reach. Nevertheless, the entrepreneurial spirit of this same people has found a solution for that: the "cabinas." "Cabinas" -cabins- are small, family owned rooms -a modest version of the cybercafés- filled with cheap computers and one fast connection to the Internet, split among all the computers. Users pay as little as one Sol (around 0.30 U.S. dollars) for one hour of Internet navigation. Thanks to the existence of free, popular e-mail services such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Mixmail, Latinmail, Terra and many others, almost anybody can have an e-mail account.
The "cabinas" system has become so popular, that Terra, the portal of Telefonica, has created a cheap pager that warns Terra-users when they have mail. Thus, the user, when alerted, can go to a cabina near-by and check his or her mail. In this way, Terra draws traffic to its portal.

If most of the poor Latin Americans are illiterate or barely literate, how can the EC ever benefit them or strengthen their faith?

The Enciclopedia Católica is, in fact, aimed to benefit them, but it is not actually aimed TO them. The usual users of the EC will be -and already are- the numerous Catechists who teach the faith to the poorest. The average Catechist is either a retired, middle-class woman or a young middle or lower middle class boy or girl.
This people are volunteers, filled with good will, but with very little formation and usually with no resources to teach. Thus, they are unable to respond to crucial questions, ranging from moral to liturgical issues. For this people, the EC is an incredibly valuable resource, because they have access almost at any time to a plethora of information.
More over, the EC is already including the latest terms and entries -like "Stem cell" or "Cloning"- thus providing a Catholic perspective to current issues.

Is the EC addressed exclusively to poor people through their Catechists?

Obviously not. The EC is an excellent tool for almost every kind of people: Pew Catholics looking for answers or disoriented about critical issues; students looking for the Catholic perspective of historical events, Catholic households trying to help their kids to do their homework from a Catholic point of view… and so on!

How extended can be the use of the EC?

It is hard to calculate with exact numbers, but at present, the 1,200 articles already available receive more than 3,000 unique visitors per day. Moreover, a large number of these visitors are teachers, leaders in parishes and lay movements, bishops and catechists teaching the faith in poor areas.

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