Finding Sustainable Solutions to the Digital Divide in Semi-Urban Honduras

Throughout the developing world unequal levels of access to technology have created a social gap called the digital divide; a considerable disparity in technological opportunities that reinforces social and economic division. A five person student research team from the University of Virginia was assembled to investigate the technological gaps in poor, semi-urban areas of Honduras and to implement a cost-effective, sustainable way to address them. The team used a flexible engineering-based approach to gather and analyze information about community, government, and economic factors relevant to the project, documenting its methodology along the way. The results of the investigation were then tested through the installation of a computer lab for a local school in the community of Las Brisas de la Libertad, in the district of Yoro, Honduras. This paper documents the installation process and describes in detail the considerations needed for its successful and sustainable implementation including community interests, political instability, hardware options, and weather. By analyzing these aspects from their respective advantages and disadvantages, it hopes to serve as a guide for future engineering-oriented service-learning endeavors in international settings.