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Networking in the Sierra Tarahumara
Challenges Entered:
This project is aimed at serving the Tarahumara Indians of the Sierra Madre. These people live scattered in 200 square miles of an incredibly rugged, vast canyon system. With an infant mortality rate of 50%, they are in desperate need of holistic health care and education. The installation of new hardware will enable Mexico Medical and other groups to meet the endless needs here.
To improve our current system, a taller radio tower with full solar power will be installed near the hospital. This will increase the range and quality of all contact with all radio units. One radio unit with solar panels and batteries will be put in a remote village. Solar capacity will be increased on another village unit. The 50-watt units in our ambulance and a community health vehicle will be upgraded to 60-watt radios, which will increase their range of contact.
Communication will be more reliable, and the range will expand in all of the cases listed below. Important users will also be added to the network.
The ability to call for medical help will be enhanced in 8 villages, most of which have no electricity or other communication ability of any kind.
Several channels will be available, allowing for simultaneous conversations to take place.
The air ambulance will be able to talk to its destination before taking off.
A private line will be available for the air-ambulance and its home base.
The hospital and ambulance will have contact over larger distances.
Communication between the hospital and health workers who live in villages will be more reliable.
Itinerary health workers who travel to remote villages each week will have greater safety and ability to network with the hospital and all other radio units.
Communication needs for another organization that runs schools and boarding houses in Tarahumara villages will be improved.
All radio units will have increased contact with local law enforcement officials.
Communication with government health workers will be possible.
The impact of the improved system will grow as Mexico Medical expands its work in Tarahumara villages.
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questions
"There are only two foreseeable obstacles to the project. The first is governmental resistance to the installation of a tower, or difficulty in obtaining the permit."
How do you plan overcoming this obstacle?
"The second is possible vandalism to the tower once it is in place."
How do you plan to prevent this from happening?