Juanchaco Community Network & Cerrito Bongo Community Network
Colombia: Juanchaco & Ladrilleros, Valle del Cauca Department, IEEE Region 9
Year Funded by Tech4Good (phase 1 in 2023)
Funding Provided by Tech4Good (in two phases)*
Individuals Impacted
Number of Volunteers
* funding in USD
Sustainable Development Goals
Team Members
IEEE Members and ComSoc members from the IEEE Colombia Section; students and faculty from the Universidad Icesi
Project Sponsor
This project was funded through the Communication for All program, powered by the IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Tech4Good.
There are still places in the world where having access to internet connectivity is not part of daily life. And the digital divide is a reality. Communication for All volunteers bring together technical expertise, local context, and a focus on long-term sustainability to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: meaningful connectivity.
Project Description
Along Colombia’s Pacific coast, distance is measured in time, in long journeys by road, by river, and through dense rainforest that isolates communities from even the nearest village.
Here, connectivity means access. To education, to healthcare, to economic opportunities – and to the digital era.
Without it, communities remain disconnected.
This is where IEEE Tech4Good and the IEEE Communications Society volunteers play a role. Through the Communication for All initiative, a team of ComSoc members from Colombia applied for a grant to implement an on-the-ground operating system to bring life-changing connectivity to areas of the world that have not yet harnessed the benefits of the digital age.
This project took place in two distinct phases to install shared internet connections in Ladrilleros and Juanchaco, two coastal communities in Colombia. In the same area, deeper in the rainforest, IEEE volunteers then traveled to the indigenous Wounaan communities in Cerrito Bongo that face even greater isolation, surrounded by jungle and connected only by water.
The networks were set up in community centers, where the team set up TV white spaces technology systems, given the remote locations and to guarantee the sustainability of the project.
Initial Impact
Both phases of the project in the various communities made an immediate impact to the over 600 people living in the communities where the networks were set up. Students gained access to knowledge. Local businesses began to grow. Families reconnected.
In this case of Cerrito Bongo, connectivity allows indigenous communities to preserve their language and culture, while opening a window to the world.
When connectivity reaches the places that need it most, it connects people to opportunity, to knowledge, and to the world.
