Chapterthon 2019 > Chapterthon 2019 Projects
Chapterthon 2019 Projects
Help us connect the world! One community at a time.
2019 Chapterthon’s theme was “Connect the Unconnected” — because every last person on the planet is part of having an Internet for everyone. Twenty-eight chapters participated in the challenge.
The three winning projects are: First Annual NYC Mesh Installathon by US New York Chapter, Qokolweni Wi-fi Hotspots by South Africa Chapter and RADIONET by Ghana Chapter.
A big thank you to our Chapters for your important strides towards connecting the world – one community at a time!
US New York Chapter: First Annual NYC Mesh Installathon
This project aims to mobilize a large team of volunteers on a single day to expand the NYC Mesh community network to at least six new locations, and connect underserved areas of New York City.
South Africa Chapter: Qokolweni Wi-fi Hotspots
This project will provide hotspots for small underprivileged communities that require an Internet connection to communicate and to learn.
Ghana Chapter: RADIONET
This project aims to create an information access system for local communities, in their own language, by providing an FM broadcast system where rural communities cannot get access.
Argentina Chapter: Connecting the Impenetrable, Connecting Argentina
This project will provide much needed access to information for people living with disabilities in rural areas of the Chaco Province in northern Argentina. Audiobooks through portables will be created and training sessions provided for the disabled persons living in these rural areas.
Armenia Chapter: Connecting Armenia to the Internet
This is an ambitious project for the Internet Society Armenia Chapter. Their mission is to help vulnerable groups, rural schools, and libraries, connect to the Internet. The project will see Wi-Fi installed in ten rural villages.
Bangladesh Dhaka Chapter: Connecting a Village for Digital Education
This project will connect the remote village of Bangura by installing Internet access and providing training on how to use it to all teachers and students.
Benin Chapter: IoTGateway to Connect the Rural Unconnected
This project will connect the rural village of Benin with the rest of the world. Covering a 22km radius, also connecting the small rural village of Avrankou, Internet connectivity will improve the local economy and agriculture, as they will now have a bridge that connects them to urban centers.
Bolivia Chapter: Network & Connectivity for Education and Health
This project will connect all schools, health centers, and hospitals in the Mallasa and Mallasilla municipal area of La Paz. The connection will be made via satellite and training will be provided to raise awareness of how to use this new technology.
Botswana Chapter: Digital Inclusion Debate Among Legislators in Botswana
This is an open call for participation on the digital debate among NGOs, media, private sector and government officials. This project will build awareness in connecting the unconnected.
Brazil Chapter: Terena People: Culture and Indigenous Language on the Net
This project is an opportunity for the Terena of Mato Grosso do Sul to use the Internet, to share their culture and their language, as well as learn about other cultures of the world.
Burkina Faso Chapter: CowPea Production Digitalization App
This project will create access to cowpea production in the capital city of Ouagadougou, providing the benefit of having updated online information on a database available for farmers. This will largely benefit women, as they are the majority of producers.
Chad Chapter: Resona
A national fiber optic network crosses the city of Moundou, an underserved urban area of Chad, yet there is no digital search space in the city, no ISP, and no local Internet service. The Resona project aims to provide an Internet access network that integrates digital services and makes them available to the community of Moundou.
Colombia Chapter: San Pablo Community Network – Because my Path can also be Connected!
This project aims to bring Internet connection to the school of San Pablo in the community of Pasca, located in the mountains of rural Colombia. While the community is accessible by road, access is difficult. This project will provide the Internet to the community of 200, as well as the twelve children attending San Pablo school, and their teacher.
Dominican Republic Chapter: Connecting the Disconnected, Facilitating Connectivity from the Internet to Nido de Amor Elementary School
This project will provide a wireless link to the Nido de Amor Elementary School. Workshops will be delivered to the community, giving young students the opportunity to carry on with their technical studies in electronics and informatics.
France Chapter: Hacker les Compétences Numériques: une Approche Collaborative du Développement de Compétences Numériques pour les Jeunes Publics
This project aims to increase digital inclusion and collaborative creation among the young public, providing them with digital skills and promoting opportunities for learning. This project will use a participatory approach to learning, helping increase familiarization with the Internet, and how to create and adapt content.
Gambia Chapter: Campus Wireless Network Upgrade
The Gambia College community is looking to upgrade and expand their existing wireless Internet infrastructure and connectivity from the campus wireless network by also providing the Brikama campus with Internet access.
Guinea Chapter: Internet Monitoring to Connect the Unconnected
This pilot project will utilize available equipment, as well as monitor new technology for the capital city of Conakry, with the aim of reducing the digital divide between the connected and the unconnected.
Kenya Chapter: Nomadic Community Network (NomadicNet)
This project strives to bridge the social and economic divide affecting nomad communities. It is committed to providing Internet access to the nomadic regions of the country, with a specific focus on access for nomadic children.
This project did not meet all requirements.
Madagascar Chapter: Laboratory 646-06
Laboratory 646-06 will be a revolutionized mobile network unit built as a solution to better use technology when responding to various crisis events, such as natural disasters. The networks will be an invaluable resource for operators and researchers, and will significantly reduce the financial and technical barriers to deploying cellular data networks.
Mali Chapter: Connect A Slum School
This project will provide Internet access to the Boulkassoumbougou School Group (a school in the Bamako slum) whose students have no access due to poverty. The project will also help teachers and build the school’s digital library.
Namibia Chapter: Establishing Ongha Community Network
This project aims to establish a community network for the village of Ongha to provide Internet access to the 200 people that live within 100 meters of the Saima Pinehas Community Development Centre.
Nepal Chapter: Sustainability of Public Wi-Fi: Rural Communities
This project will include a consultation and analysis of current Internet connectivity in rural semi-urban municipalities. Looking at public Wi-Fi systems and local services available to these communities, this study will demonstrate best practices and guidelines to help build a sustainable public Wi-Fi.
Nicaragua Chapter: Creating Identity through Connectivity
The Nicaragua Chapter wants to give more than ten young people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to be connected to the Internet, fostering improved education and social inclusion for these underrepresented young people. Training will also be provided to build technical skills capacity.
Paraguay Chapter: School Multi-purpose Base Station
This project proposes a multi-station access point based at the National College of Tajy Loma, located 9 kilometers from the urban center of Carapeguá. One of the most populated communities in the city with more than 200 underprivileged students aged 12-18; residents and students here are too far away to enjoy access to the services available to those in the urban center.
Saint Vincent and The Grenadines Chapter: Design an Internet Community Network for Farmers
This project will assess the requirements for Internet connectivity in the community of Veryvine in the Vermont Valley, a rural farming area.
Senegal Chapter: Digital Village
This project will create a digital space for the local youth of the community of Sagalkam. Young people here will be able to enjoy access to the Internet so they can strengthen their capacity in their chosen fields, and training will be provided on many digital themes. This project is also part of the Senegal Digital 2025 project location program.
Somalia Chapter: Connecting the Unconnected Somalis to the Internet for Learning and Productivity
This project will be implemented in a remote community near Afgoye, and in collaboration with the Bakka Training Centre. Installation of a proxy or local network to this community will give young people, adults, and elders access to the many opportunities that the Internet offers.
This project did not meet all requirements.
South Africa Guateng Chapter: Mpumalanga Community Network Summit
This project aims to create awareness of the importance of community networks and provide an overview of the digital space. To build capacity within the community, training will be provided with a focus on women and youth. We would like to give everyone the opportunity to enjoy network connectivity and telecommunications.
Sri Lanka Chapter: Internet Coverage in Sri Lanka and Quality of Access
This project aims to collect and monitor Internet services, as well as some providers. Members of the public will install an application on their mobile device or desktop, which will collect all data to calculate the quality of Internet services. Data will be uploaded to a central server, to which all users will have access, and information collected will be verified.
This project did not meet all requirements.
Togo Chapter: Yeevi Project
Looking at the digital divide in the Togolese territory, mainly the seaside villages near Tsévié, 35 km from Lome, the capital city of Togo, this project will establish a framework for Internet connectivity that will be housed in the German library in Tsévié and expanded to the Lycée 2 of Tsévié.
This project did not meet all requirements.
Uganda Chapter: Enhancing Digital Skills for Urban Refugees in Kampala, Uganda
This project seeks to enhance digital skills for urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda. The project follows support provided to the Young African Refugees for Integral Development, enabling secure Internet access for Ugandan refugees.
Zimbabwe Chapter: Offline-First, Incentivized Internet Sharing
This project purposes to deploy a Hype Open Protocol (HOP) to mobile phones connecting the Mbare community. By developing a cluster made up of Raspberry Pis, access will be made available even if offline. In the event of a natural disaster, the Internet can be shared with the unconnected.
Image copyright: © Internet Society / Nyani Quarmyne / Panos Pictures