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Isolated Chilean Community Gets Connected After Earthquake
Seattle, November 2010
Alto Bíobío region is located in southern Chile in the Andes mountain range. The local people are primarily Pechuence indigenous decent.
One of the main challenges the citizens of this region face is isolation. Their isolation became more apparent after the earthquake in February, people were unable to easily connect with aid groups or tell others about their situation.
Julio Mendoza, director of the “Pewen Mau” Program for Regional Development states: “There is Internet in Alto Biobío, but people don´t have easy access to it. There are no Internet cafes and only a couple of offices or institutions have this service.”
The humanitarian relief organization World Vision included Alto Bíobío as one of its 16 Area Development Projects. World Vision recognized the need for access to technology and communication in this community and helped with setting up a public technology centers.
InterConnection, a non-profit that provides refurbished computers to underserved communities around the world, partnered with World Vision to donate 50 computers to the community Internet access project.
The computers went to five schools, a community radio station and a firestation.
Nadia Sagredo, a teacher at a local school, points out: “When a child from here finishes eighth grade and heads to the city, she faces a huge challenge. It takes almost half a semester for a child to adjust to the different realities and the new demands in the city. It’s not because the education level is higher in the city, but simply it’s the social differences. This is why access to the Internet is important. It helps to open a wide world to them and prepare them for what’s out there.”
Liliana Báez, who is in charge of World Vision’s program, says that “if a child wishes to have access to knowledge diversity, be it cultural, scientific, or technological, he is limited. The moutains create a feeling of limitations.” Before we received the computers, we had workshops in basic computer skills that taught children how to use Word for doing their homework. But one of our dreams has always been to be able to connect to the Internet and have access to all the information it provides.”
InterConnection is a US-based non-profit that provides
underserved communities, like Alto Bio Bio, with high-quality
refurbished computers. The computers donated to the community
was surplus computer equipment from Microsoft that
InterConnection refurbished in Seattle, shipped to Santiago,
Chile, and delivered to the Alto Bio Bio community via a
partnership with an in-country distributor. Businesses and
individuals can support projects like these by donating surplus
computer equipment to InterConnection,
www.interconnection.org