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Solar-Powered Computer Project in the Jungle

Challenges Entered: 
Bringing solar-powered technology to underserved indigenous communities in remote areas.

The Solar-Powered Computer Project in the Jungle brings the latest technology to the heart of the rainforest in rural Cameroon, where most indigenous villagers have never used a computer and have severely limited access to any technology. 

This project is made possible through the partnership of two local non-profit organizations:  Hope International for Tikar People (HITIP) and Linux Friends. Linux Friends has donated flexible solar panels and six computers to create a low-power computer project in the Tikar region of Cameroon. Linux Friends also provides technical assistance and training to the villagers regarding installing, using, and maintaining the technology.

The impact and success of this project has been due to the leadership and participation of people with disabilities, women and youth in organizing, energizing and mobilizing community members to learn to use new technologies for their first time in their lives.  

This project opens up a whole new world of possibilities for isolated, rural communities that live without phones, newspapers, television, or internet.  In a region where polio is still a stark reality, this solar-powered technology provides an equalizing force that fully integrates all members of the community, including individuals with disabilities.  

Women are the backbone of the Tikar community.  Through access to technology and education they will be able to improve the quality of their lives and they will be able to provide a better life for their children.  Currently, only 15% of the Tikar population has birth certificates because mothers are often illiterate and are unable to document the births of their children.  Birth certificates are critical for children to receive medical care and to attend high school and college.     

The social innovator behind this idea is Ibrahim Abdoulaye, a seventeen year-old polio survivor and wheelchair user who lives in the village.

Ibrahim was the first person in his village to receive a wheelchair from HITIP and since that time he has been unstoppable. He coaches the village football team, he has completed his primary education, he repairs other villagers' wheelchairs, and he is an avid photographer.  He is also now the solar panel and computer technician for the project.  In Ibrahim's isolated village, there is no running water, no electricity, and no internet. Ibrahim is a self-taught mechanic and is the only electrician in the village and he is a natural when it comes to using, repairing, and maintaining computers.

Ibrahim is a role model for the young children and teens in the village due to his perseverance, patience, and passion for helping others. He is the inspiration behind the Solar-Powered Computer Project in the Jungle and he is a leader who uses technology to stand for social justice.

 

 

 

 

Project Details
Project url: 
http://www.hitip.org
Project image: 
Project video: 
Supporting organization: 
Linux Friends
Project Assessment
Financial support: 
No
Sustainability Model: 
For us, sustainability is an ongoing, community-driven process not just a means to an end. "Ability" is at the core of sustainability and it is ability that ultimately sustains a project. Our project focuses on developing the abilities of marginalized indigenous communities and vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, women and youth. The project has been successful because the actions that we are taking are initiated by the community members themselves and they are developed from the ground up not from the top down. Our organization, Hope International for Tikar People, has established and cultivated partnerships at the local, regional, national, and international level. We understand the power of partnership and we realize that our successes are the result of equitable collaboration with other organizations. The "Solar-Powered Computer Project in the Jungle" is founded on the principle of partnership. Our partnerships also sustain our work by creating momentum and motivation for the supporters of our project and for the project participants.
Expertise needed: 
A Solar Technology Consultant to collaborate with community members and project leaders to assess the cost of expanding the current project in indigenous communities in the rainforest.
Additional Technology Trainers to assist Linux Friends in providing hands-on, experiential training to villagers to maintain the project and to increase their knowledge and skills.
In order to further cultivate local expertise, the project needs to provide transportation and training for local villagers outside of their own community in order to facilitate an exchange of ideas and strategies and encourage leadership.
Project goals: 
Increase leadership development and potential human resources in the community through access to technology and education.
Provide additional technical assistance and training for individuals with disabilities to increase self-reliance and encourage equitable participation in the community.
Secure additional funding to support programmatic needs, specifically for the Project Coordinator, who is currently a full-time volunteer, and for the volunteer team on the ground in the communities.
Identified Obstacles: 
The project will address the obstacle of a lack of access to education and technology for indigenous people with disabilities, women and youth.
The project will also respond to the absence of leadership opportunities and resource for the members of these at-risk groups.
The project will be adapted to meet the villages' urgent need for communication infrastructure, which is virtually non-existent.

Location

Village of Ngambe Tikar
PO BOX 1 Plaine Tikar
Ngambe Tikar
Cameroon
Submitted by HITIP on September 28, 2010 - 9:34pm

Essential.

Submitted by ninabianchi on October 14, 2010 - 12:10pm.

Essential.

  Thank you for sharing your

Submitted by Tobias Eigen on October 8, 2010 - 2:47pm.

 

Thank you for sharing your project, which I have added to my favorites on Netsquared. Can you also support Kabissa's project and give your feedback? We are a network connecting people and organizations for Africa - you are very welcome to also join Kabissa, an online platform where people and organizations working in Africa can showcase themselves and connect with each other for peer learning and information sharing. It would be great to have HITIP participating in the Kabissa network. 

I love the photograph and enjoy imagining the behind the scenes things that had to happen to make that photo possible. I'd be interested in hearing more from you about where the computers will live more permanently and how they will be managed in the village - is there a school building? Are they connected to the Internet or are there plans to do so? How are they used and who is in charge of them? 

I like the way you describe your sustainability to model - very inspiring. 

If you have not yet done so, perhaps you could get in touch with Solar Sister which I think shares alot of your goals. 

I also think you might want to contact Global Team for Local Initiatives, organized out of Bainbridge Island near Seattle where Kabissa is based, which supports economic development projects in a rural community in Ethiopia. They also have a holistic approach that focusses on women. 

Warm regards, 

Tobias

 

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