Build a School in the Cloud for Pisamal, Colombia

Dear SOLE Colombia and Pisamal friends,

We hope you are safe and healthy. We know that the last 3 months have been challenging for all of us, no matter in which corner of the world we are.

At SOLE Colombia and in the community of Pisamal, we also have been facing a new reality, in the way we work and interact, in the way we learn and live on a daily basis.

This worldwide situation brought us to rethink the importance of what we do. We have a big challenge: How to respond to this situation with the tools we already have, what can we do? What other ressources are available to respond? Sitting at home and having some important conversations with some of the neighbours of Pisamal, who are close to the Internet connection in the village, we are discovering new forms to continue this project. Even if the situation has shown much more clearer the existing inequality and some people in the village are now much more isolated from the world, there's still hope and Robinson - SOLE ambassador - , together with other neighbours, are already looking for solutions. 

This year, before the pandemic began, neighbours in Pisamal were doing different kind of activities with their children and adults: Different SOLE sessions + Cinema (60 kids and adults have participated), one Bingo activity with 50 participants from the village to raise funds for their own project, an approach to the Mayor's Office of Aguadas to present the project and find support from the local Government, and meetings and calls with the SOLE Colombia team.

To give more sustainability to the project of building a SOLE Lab (School in the Cloud) in the community, the neighbours also implemented a minimum charge for the use of the internet when someone visits the internet spot at Robinson's place, to make a consultation, and thus they have been saving to contribute to the project.

They also have started to connect with other SOLEs in Colombia and have the intention to be part of a great conversation we are starting with many diverse communities all over Colombia about the future we want.

This is an awesome start for a rural community of 570 people where there is only one place with internet connection and the dream of having their SOLE Lab is still alive.

We are conscious that while restrictions continue, there's no possibility to start building the phisical space that we altogether, neighbours and SOLE Colombia team, have been working for. Nontheless, we're still working together with some of the neighbours and trying to keep the connection using the technology we have and the internet connection, that has been the only way for people in Pisamal to stay connected to world outside the village.

We are working on a new plan for the coming months, so the people get motivated and ready when the the time for starting to build the SOLE Lab begins.

The community of Pisamal and the SOLE Colombia team, are thankful for the immense support we have received from SAP in Colombia and all the donors that have also contributed to this beautiful project.

More than ever we need to realize the importance of the connectiviy and see it as a right for every human being and every community worldwide. There are still many remote places in our country that are disconnected from the world and are facing a much more challenging situation than the "connected world".

With a simple investment in connectivity for a specific community, like Pismal, we can contribute to a huge difference and open the window to new opportunities to arise.

Neighbours in Pisamal are thankful with every small contribution to this awesome project. We invite you to support us and share this news with your larger network. With your contribution, they'll have the chance to be connected to the Internet for a larger period of time and have enough ressources to find the sustainability for this project.

¡Thank you and stay healthy and happy!

Robinson and his neighbours in Pisamal and the SOLE Colombia team

Links:

• SOLE Colombia webpage