Final blog as part of the virtual course «Tools to communicate with Impact» that the students developed on a variety of topics including health, COVID-19, connectivity and the internet.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools and various business centers closed. Because of this, classes were are online and the internet became a key resource for communities like the Tihosuco community in Mexico, where not everyone has access to this service due to the economic impacts of the pandemic.
Tihosuco is located in the Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality, in the State of Quintana Roo in Mexico, where some 4,561 people reside in indigenous communities, of which almost 80 percent do not have access to the internet.2
On the other hand, the U Belilek Cooperative Society is a Mayan community tourism company that emerged in 2003 with the purpose of promoting the culture and history of the community, but above all, to enable the locals of the community to offer their traditional services like, for example, crafts, traditional medicine, gastronomy, etc.
U Belilek, knowing the lack of internet in the communities, provided its support by offering a space for them to carry out their educational activities through the internet. The computer center is a space that accommodates eight children or young people every two hours to do homework and connect to classes, while implementing safety measures.
“Thanks to U Belilek, I can do and send my homework on time,” expressed José Poot, a 4th grade primary student.
“I had fun and learned a lot with my friends in California. Also, I explored and was part of a trilingual sightseeing tour. It is always time to learn. I’m always fascinated,” says Hugo Rene Ballado, a support guide at U Belilek.
Finally, at U Belilek we are committed to caring for the environment, we carry out clean-up days and environmentally friendly practices such as battery collection, among other things.
Written by: Alicia Manzon & Tania Fernández