Last year, when we met with the students receiving scholarships, many of them—and their parents—shared a common dream: access to computers in their community. At present, students must rely on cyber cafés, paying for computer time, copies, and printing. For families already struggling, these costs quickly add up. While life in the community is simple and mostly free of technology (aside from the ever-present cell phones), older students need computer access for their studies, and some carry aspirations that require modern tools. Their hopes sparked our journey to provide a community computer lab.

Earlier this year, men from the community built an addition to the school, designed large enough to hold 10 computers, a printer, and networking equipment. In June, a team from the U.S. joined the community to paint the school—including the new lab. Although we had read about a UN initiative to bring internet to schools in Honduras, when we asked local school officials in Danlí, they confirmed that no support was available for either computers or internet. So, we purchased and installed a Starlink system ourselves to provide reliable internet for the students.

The computers themselves came through a generous donation from a defense contractor in Huntsville. Friends here configured the laptops and server, and once they arrived in Honduras, José’s son, Joseph, completed the setup for student use. Even something as simple as buying a printer turned into a long, complicated process—made harder by incomplete or incorrect information. (Oftentimes what seems a simple tasks is not so simple in Honduras!) But eventually, we were able to acquire and install a printer/copier for the school.

Over the past month, Joseph has been teaching the students how to use the computers. Some had never touched one before, while others already had some skills. He did an excellent job training them and helping them gain confidence. Our brother Donovan generously offered his workers to staff the lab during open hours, and once again, we are grateful for the way the Father uses our partnership with him to bless the community. 

It’s taken some time for students to begin using the lab regularly, but we hope this week marks the start of steady participation. A few years ago, a Honduran newspaper reported that only 500 out of 17,500 schools in the country had internet access. We are thankful that this community now has the opportunity to be among them. 

As always, thank you for your love, prayers, and concern for the people here. You are part of every step forward.

Pictures :  Facebook