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.
The Consejo Regional Indígena y Popular de Xpujil (CRIPX) made a computer center available so that the community of Mancolona, Mexico, could connect to the Internet without having to travel to the cities. This helped young people continue studying online and connect with their families who are far away.
The community of Mancolona, of Tzeltal from Chiapanecos origin, is located north of Calakmul, Campeche, which is 60km from Xpujil. It lies between Flores Magón and Nueva Vida and is one of the largest natural reserves in Mexico.
The computer center was opened in order to tackle the challenges of schooling presented by the pandemic, helping young people connect to their classes and download information and assignments through the internet. Today, and as a result of the pandemic, many young people have difficulty doing their homework due to the lack of computers and internet access. The CRIPX initiative helped young people take advantage of the computers already available in the computer center so that they can continue studying and not fall behind in their studies.
«We work to guarantee the right of access to all communication, as well as to telecommunications and radio broadcasting services, including broadband and Internet. We do this by identifying and locating communities with a high and very high degree of marginalization,» said Guillermina, a member of CRIPX.
The global coronavirus pandemic has taught us that the internet is a lifeline for so many people. Today, it is more important than ever. Despite this, almost half of the world’s population still does not have access to the internet. Indigenous communities are the most affected because of living in rural areas where the internet is most difficult to reach. Yet every day, people around the world help their neighbors connect to the internet and navigate the hardships of the pandemic. CRIPX was not far behind and is working to bring digitization closer to the Mancolona community.
Written by: Guillermina Gutiérrez Cortés – CRIPX Communicator