Colombia’s Ministry of Communications announced it will train nine indigenous communities in the south of the country to use computers and the internet.
Training will take place in a boat known as the “Navigante de la Amazonia,” a floating classroom equipped with 20 computers with a satellite internet connection. Teachers will be experts in the field of technology education.
“It’s very interesting to learn this, we’ve never touched this equipment. We must pass this on so that our children know about it and they can find out about the beliefs of their parents from the internet,” Humberto Narváez from the Quechua indigenous community told radio station Caracol.
For one month the “Navigante de la Amazonia” will provide training to inhabitants of the municipalities of Puerto Asis, Puerto Leguízamo, Puerto Alegria, El Encanto, San Rafael, Marandua, Puerto Arica, Tarapaca and Leticia.
Communication Minister Maria del Rosario Guerra explained “this region of the country has many needs and our commitment is to train communities from the Colombian Amazon and allow them, through the use of technology, to access new opportunities for progress and development.”
This venture concludes a government strategy to encourage computer literacy in remote communities. Previous projects covered 2,350 square kilometers and trained 14,300 Colombians in the use of computer technology.