Project status: Closed

Country: Argentina

Partner: Altermundi

Impact goal: 16 communities

About the project

Roberto Arias is an ENACOM program with the objective to support and finance the development of Community Internet Networks. Through the joint funding of APC and 48percent.org and the coordination between AlterMundi and Nodo TAU, this project includes training programs, open conversations, workshops, guides, and tutorials with the objective of facilitating the learning of concepts, tools, and procedures useful when applying to the Roberto Arias Program. 

Results

A change that occurred near the beginning is that one of the community networks had to withdraw from the formation due to problems unrelated to AlterMundi, but rather to the organization that brought together the participating people from this community. They had more urgent problems to attend to, so only 15 of them continued. 

The money assigned to number sixteen was allocated to expenses to hold a face-to-face meeting at Villa Ciudad Parque (reported in the mid-term report). Thus it was that twelve of the fifteen were able to meet in person and share the experience of setting up the four nodes in that locality, and to carry out debates on the various reasons that led each one to be there. 

So, the project allowed 15 community networks to have a kit of 4 LibreRouters with all its accessories and tools for deployment. 

Throughout the virtual meetings they were acquiring the necessary knowledge and advice to carry out the deployments in their communities. This process allowed them to develop technological appropriation, recognizing themselves capable of self-managing their Internet networks. By November 18, all of them had already deployed their four nodes and successfully connected the local network to the Internet. 

El Semillero began its regular meetings virtually every Thursday in May, each lasting just over two hours. 

The 15 communities are (town-province-organization): 

1. Tostado - Santa Fe - Mov. Evita 

2. Campo de la Rivera - Córdoba Capital - EO 

3. Sebastian Elcano - Córdoba - FOB 

4. La Perla - Córdoba - Somos Barrios de Pie 

5. Valle Alegre - Córdoba - Somos Barrios de Pie 

6. Bialet Massé - Córdoba - Cultura Árbol Tierradentro 

7. Villa Ciudad Parque - Córdoba - Semilla del Sur 

8. Santa Ana - Tucumán - tucma 

9. Guachipas - Salta - FOB 

10. Quebrada de Escoipe - Salta - MCP 

11. Ojo de Agua - Cordoba - CTO 

12. Bananal - Jujuy - MCP 

13. Palma Sola - Jujuy - Tierra Fértil 

14. Ojo de Agua - Santiago del Estero - MOCASE 

15. Plottier - Neuquén - Militantes del Pueblo

Altermundi regularly share their knowledge and progress on community networks on their YouTube page.

Challenges

One of the challenges is being able to articulate virtually with people who generally work and organize in person, such as workers in the popular economy, farmers, community radio stations.

There is a clear lack of quality connectivity in the selected rural communities, which is precisely one of the characteristics valued for their selection. Until they design their network and make it effective, connectivity is erratic and expensive. The same with the electric power service that when it fails even the local cell phone antenna is turned off. That is why Altermundi handle various and redundant forms of communication.

About the partner

AlterMundi is an Argentina-based NGO working on their mission to bring and create awareness affordable connectivity to all parts of Argentina.

Visit their website here to learn more about them.