What if you couldn’t search the internet?

30 Guatemalan Digital Community Centers

Six years ago, New Sun Road and the Microsoft Airband program realized that renewable energy systems with remote monitoring could also provide internet access. They started a project with the additional goal of generating opportunities to reduce immigration from underdeveloped regions. The partners added others and developed a plan to install Digital Community Centers in the rural highlands of Guatemala. These women-led centers are owned and managed by the communities and provide access to digital skills development, governmental programs, job opportunities, and even YouTube.

In January, New Sun Road installed another 10 renewable energy systems in the diverse province of Quiche.

Stellar IS™ installation at a Digital Community Center in Batzsumal, Guatemala.

The municipalities of Chicaman, Uspantán, Santa María Nebaj, and San Juan Cotzal, are post-conflict zones in which the majority of the population is indigenous. This area still has significant social scars from the Guatemalan civil war which ended in 1996. The region lacks access to most basic services, including electricity and clean water.

The Uspantán and Chicamán area grows cardamom – Guatemala is the world’s largest producer. This region has pockets that lack access to power and connectivity despite large and populated communities with diverse businesses, such as convenience stores, radios, banks, workshops, and even universities. This is an unusual mix for a rural area.

Finally, the communities in the Ixil area (Santa María Nebaj and San Juan Cotzal) are located on the top of rugged mountains and also lack basic infrastructure and services. Regional municipalities have high rates of poverty, malnutrition, and migration to the United States.

Learn more about Digital Community Centers

The New Sun Road team was challenged by impassable roads, extreme weather, torrential rains, and temperatures of over 100 degrees. Transporting the solar and battery systems across mountains was quite literally an uphill battle. Nevertheless, with planning and collaboration, we installed 10 Stellar IS™ systems in 8 days.

We now have 30 women-led Digital Community Centers and plan to install 500 more across the region. We have seen how these centers create stepping stones to opportunity and growth connecting thousands of people, creating jobs, and providing training in everything from the power of AI to entrepreneurship.

Imagine if you couldn’t ask the internet, watch YouTube for tips on how to fix your chicken coop, or access a bank account. Help us make a difference.