Nyatike Community Network with Gonline Africa

Project status: Closed

Country: Kenya

Partner: Gonline Africa

Impact goal: 1850 people

About the project

The project aspires to offer affordable internet access to underserved communities in Nyatike. Through the expansion of the Nyatike Community Network, the initiative aims to connect 5 schools, 3 health centres, 5 public hotspots, and 2 vocational training centers. A core emphasis lies on promoting digital inclusion, especially among farmers, women, and youths, which will be achieved through comprehensive digital skills training and the establishment of digital infospots. The overarching goal is to empower the community by catalyzing advancements in education, agritech, healthcare, and economic opportunities through internet connectivity.

Results

The Nyatike Community Network: Bridging the Digital Divide project aimed to expand affordable internet access across underserved areas of Nyatike, Kenya. The initiative focused on connecting key community institutions—including schools, health centres, and public infospots—while prioritizing digital inclusion for farmers, women, and youth through localized skills training and outreach. The project has not only met but in many ways exceeded its original objectives.

Through the project, the team successfully connected: 3 schools (St. Michael’s Nyandema Secondary School, Nyandago Secondary School, and Obalwanda Primary School), 2 community institutions (a church and a children’s orphanage, 1 health centre, 3 public Wi-Fi hotspots, 15 households.

This infrastructure now supports over 300 regular users, including teachers, students, and families, with more than 9,000 subscriptions since June, averaging 50–100 users per day and 1,800 unique monthly users via the infospots.

Teachers at the connected schools now use the internet as a tool for research, lesson planning, and engaging students—demonstrating concepts using platforms like YouTube. Schools no longer need to travel long distances to cybercafés for uploading reports or accessing educational content from the Ministry of Education.

The project also focused heavily on capacity building: 12 teachers (4 per school) received training in basic ICT skills. 110 students across Nyandema High School, Nyandago High School, and Olanda Comprehensive School were engaged in digital literacy sessions. Local women and street vendors were trained in small groups (5–10 individuals) on how to use the internet for economic development—especially accessing markets, learning new skills, and communication. More than 100 young women now regularly use the GONLINE AFRICA hub for learning, research, and personal development. 3 university students now attend online classes through the network’s connectivity.

One major success of the project was the inclusion of women in the technical aspects of the network deployment. In communities where women had rarely been involved in such work, their participation served as a powerful demonstration that women can succeed in technology roles when given the opportunity.

Challenges, Changes and Solutions

Despite its overall success, the project encountered several unexpected challenges and had to adapt its plans accordingly.

Power reliability was a recurring issue. For example, Mariba Primary School could not be connected due to a lack of electricity. The network’s main backup power solution also had limitations, providing coverage for only up to 8 hours during outages—while some blackouts lasted more than two weeks.

Signal interference and line-of-sight obstacles made it difficult to connect areas like Otho and Wath Onger. As a solution, the community in Onger donated a space to be used as a digital training hub, ensuring continued engagement even without full connectivity.

A billing and network management platform was not initially part of the project’s infrastructure. The lack of this system delayed monetization efforts and required mid-project adjustments to begin managing subscriptions effectively.

Training was conducted in varied environments, including informal settings for local vendors and women’s groups. This low-cost, small-group approach proved highly effective for reaching individuals who may not otherwise attend structured workshops.

The Nyatike Community Network has demonstrated that, even in remote and infrastructure-limited areas, community-led connectivity can dramatically expand educational access, digital literacy, and local economic empowerment—especially when it is responsive, inclusive, and rooted in local needs.

About the partner

Gonline Africa is an organization commited to empowering rural and marginalized communities with affordable and accessible digital infrastructure, comprehensive digital literacy programs, and inclusive online platforms. Their focus is on promoting connected and empowered African communities, where every individual in rural and marginalized communities has equal access to digital opportunities, enabling them to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Visit their website here!