Last week we shared a little bit about the internet, what it looks like now, and touched briefly on the benefits web access brings to developing countries and rural communities.
The Web, in a nutshell, can be defined as a global social communication entity; from information, to conversation, to education and business transactions, the web is a versatile and diverse tool, as long as you have access to it.

Over the last few years, direct initiatives have been employed to bring the web to some of the worlds most difficult-to-reach communities. Tech such as the BRCK, a localized “hotspot” being used in rural Africa (https://www.brck.com/), or Google’s “Loon” project, launched in 2013 in New Zealand, which is a network of balloons that relay internet and/or phone signals, traveling on air currents to position themselves for optimal performance ( see more here at: https://youtu.be/HOndhtfIXSY ), are just a couple of examples of the race toward getting the whole world “online”.

What does this mean for the small village in the great wide expanse of Africa’s wild areas? Or the rural town in New Zealand’s highlands? Or the family who are split, between watching over their children in their home in the coffee-clad mountains of Guatemala, and working in the United States or Canada?

First, of course, is communication. In our current time, internet access in America is done primarily via wireless device, be it a lap top, tablet, smart phone, and now even our Televisions and DVD players. Communication is how we live; we are always available, plugged in and accessible.
For developing countries, cell phone use is on a dramatic rise, and in the age of smart phones, internet access goes a long way in globalizing a person’s ability to engage with their family, friends, and loved ones.
It also means opportunities that were previously nonexistent for developing areas. Imagine this picture: for generations, your family has lived in a tiny mountain village, far, far away from the closest city. There is a large demand for the wool of sheep and llamas in that city, both of which you have plenty of, but you only have one horse and one cart. A trip to the business center takes a week; a few days in, a few days back home. You can only sell as much of your wares as will fit in the cart, and what you sell goes toward the necessities of food, shelter, clothing for your family, and maybe a small gift every now and then. The remainder of the wool is stored for the next visit to town, but in the wet environment will often mold or go bad before you can get to town again.

One day, a representative of a technology company comes in and puts the internet in your hands in the form of a smart phone. With this new mobile access, you are able to open a savings account, and over time generate enough of a “nest egg” to buy another horse and cart, and now you and your son or daughter can go to market and double your income. Over time, you are able to purchase a small truck. You quadruple the amount you are making in the market. You begin to explore online opportunities, learn how to sew, create small items such as gloves and hats, and sell them online, and the money goes directly into your savings account. You are able to become financially stable for yourself, and as close-knit as your community is, you are able to help provide necessities for those in your small town as well, eventually creating more business for your community, and helping your friends and family learn to produce an income as well.

This, of course, is a dramatized example, and sounds easier than it is in reality, but the concept is there – web access grants previously unavailable financial opportunities, access to banking, and puts consumers face-to-face with rural farmers, artisans and craftsmen.

How Nerds Abroad helps is that we step in where the development is still occurring. As we are all well aware, technology is not very good friends with things like hard surfaces, water, and overall time being used. We step into these communities and fix the devices, hardware, software, programs, etc. so that the family, village, town, or growing community can continue, unimpeded, toward financial stability, giving way to greater opportunities, such as education and, finally, a voice for themselves.