Fiber optic training program for the Pueblo Nuevo Indigenous Reservation

Project status: Closed

Country: Colombia

Partner: Council of the Pueblo Nuevo Indigenous Reservations

Impact goal: 20

About the project

This project aims to train people from the community of the Pueblo Nuevo Indigenous Reservation in governance issues and technical aspects for the implementation of a community fiber optic network. Together with the community, a design proposal for the network will be developed. The project will take place in the indigenous reservation of Pueblo Nuevo in the municipality of Caldono, Cauca. The project seeks to facilitate access to the Internet and local services by providing the community with the skills to implement, operate, and maintain a community fiber optic network.

Results

Initially, the call was made in the indigenous reservations. Afterwards, 16 interested young men and women responded to the call for the course, complying with the programmed activities such as the Governance of a community network and basic training in networks, understanding as a general concept of community networks, in this case the networks are collectively owned and self-managed by the community, not for profit and for community benefit purposes. The participants were able to understand and get closer to the technological terms and tools involved in setting up their deployment process. The trainees received the knowledge transmitted by the instructor about the use of fiber optic tools, care and use during installation and maintenance of fiber optic cables, connectors and networks and carrying out tests.

The students understood the importance of the tools that are essential to ensure that fiber optic networks are correctly installed and that they are properly maintained in order to provide reliable and high-speed data transmission. The participants also learned various things outside of the training, such as: 

1. Fiber optic cables are very fragile and can easily be damaged if not treated with care
2. Fiber optic networks can be very complex, and these tools helps technicians find and fix problems in these networks
3. These tools also help ensure that fiber optic networks are installed and maintained safely and effectively.
4. Collectively they concluded the importance of having the right tools. Fiber optic tools are used to safely and efficiently test fiber optic cables and networks.

The local indigenous authority found that the course participants received basic concepts in a theoretical-practical manner. This method facilitated the students' personalization of the training process and the topics with high receptivity, responsibility and commitment. Day by day they built trust between the students, the instructor and other leaders and the indigenous authority who carried out the oversight process.

During the fiber deployment, the commitment, responsibility and security that each participant should have in their distribution of the fiber optic network was observed, where a high degree of commitment and teamwork was detailed. In summary, it fulfilled the objective of training young women and men and carrying out the deployment of fiber optics in the town center in the strategic streets where the network passes in two secondary schools, a primary school, a health center, a community house, the council house and 200 private homes.

Total (indirect) beneficiaries

2 secondary schools; indirect 480 students, men and women; from 11 years to 19 years of age.

1 primary school; indirect 453 students from transition to 10-11 years of age.

1 Health Center; indirect: they serve 30 people every Wednesdays and Thursdays.

1 Council House; indirect: 330 people serve each Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

1 community house; indirect: 60 people each day attending Thursday and Sunday.

235 family homes with an average of five people per home.

All these groups now have fiber optic deployment to connect.

Unforeseen challenges

An unforeseen challenge was that activities were carried out until late at night and on weekends, which meant little rest during the configuration of the equipment and its operation. Additionally, there were distant visits to the main antenna that are located in remote and distant places. There were always activities happening, despite the weather not cooperating. We had to go from unexpected walks towards the hill, with equipment on our backs, always walking in the rain and fog.

About the partner

Pueblo Nuevo Indigenous Reservation is part of 6 communities in the east and northeast of the department of Cauca. Pueblo Nuevo Indigenous Reservation is located within the ancestral territory of Sath' Tama Kiwe. You can read more about them here.