Better Connected in Nepal

Better connected in Nepal

We brought high-speed wireless internet to some of the most remote villages on earth – with a host of benefits that many of us take for granted.

The idea of spending time cut off from our emails, unable to ask Google something, or deprived of the chance to buy things online is, for many of us, unthinkable.

For 90% of people in Nepal, however, it is a permanent state of affairs. Without access to the internet, they are cut off from global knowledge, education, healthcare, communications and e-commerce.

Providing access

That’s why we joined forces with a local education organisation – Learning Planet – to bring internet access to villages in Nepal’s central Dhawa region.

Our engineers helped set up the community-owned internet service provider Dhawa.net, transforming the lives of 5,000 villagers. It:

• improved access to education for local children as six of the area’s seven schools got new IT hubs
• connected villagers with doctors in the capital Kathmandu, thanks to a free 24/7 online diagnosis service
• kept families connected with video link-ups – in a region where most young men move abroad for work.

The villagers now have access to the internet’s global knowledge network, to new and potentially transformative ideas, and to e-commerce – both the opportunity to buy and sell online, and to find new types of remote employment.

And it’s a two-way street: the world can now benefit from the community’s unique experience and knowledge as they begin posting their own content online.

Our engineers also trained local people to manage and maintain the system, creating new jobs in the process. They’ll now be able to expand this incredibly exciting project to neighbouring areas.

It’s an environment-conscious project too: our engineers installed solar power to run it, with the happy spin-off of providing extra lighting for schools in the area.