Community Networks
Success Stories

a woman posing for a photo smiling at camera

Community Networks
Success Stories

Communities worldwide are coming together to build and maintain themselves where traditional Internet services are yet to reach.

For one-third of the population in rural, remote, and even urban communities worldwide, every day without Internet access is a day of lost opportunity.

On every continent, people and community organizations are leading the way with one goal: to connect their communities to the Internet.

We support these efforts and provide grant funding to build community networks. Learn more about them:

53

community networks supported

funds granted (in USD)*

* since January 2020

Accessible format of this map

have expanded and now connect more people to the Internet.

connected a school.

connected a hospital.

households are connected to the Internet.

Featured Stories

People carry a solar panel uphill.

Zardaly, Kyrgyzstan

Considered the most difficult village to connect in Kyrgyzstan, Zardaly had no electricity and can only be reached by foot along a perilous cliffside trail. But with help from the Internet Society Kyrgyzstan Chapter, connection was made possible. 

After the team hoisted a solar panel up the mountain and linked it to a car battery, Zardaly was connected! Villagers accessed educational materials, made video calls, and promoted business. But the first thing they did was advocate for their rights.

a boy sitting in front of the computer in a classroom smiling

Khunde and Khumjung, Nepal

Children in the Khumjung school are more excited about their computer class than usual. The reason? They’re finally using the Internet—after years of learning about it only through textbooks.

All thanks to a local initiative, in partnership with the Internet Society, that built the highest community network in the world.

We also returned to the villages in May 2024 to train locals in computer and fiber networking so they can manage and troubleshoot the network.

A group of kids joyfully dancing outdoors

Part of the NANUM initiative to connect Indigenous women in the Chaco. The Fa’ay Lhavoquey—the Women Carob Harvesters Group—overcome digital isolation by building community networks to benefit native Nivaclé communities.

With access, they’ve expanded their carob flour business, improved their savings, and expanded access to educational materials in the local schools. Thanks to them, over a thousand Nivaclé people are connected.

Two people on the top of a hill looking toward the horizon with the hamlet of Ulukhaktok and the ocean in the distance.

Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

In Canada, 33 communities live in the vast and remote Northwest Territories. One of the challenges First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people face is the lack of connectivity: it’s hard to get infrastructure there, and the lack of economic incentives means these communities have been left behind for years.

But in 2023, all that started to change when the people of Ulukhaktok launched their own community network.

a woman looking at the phone sitting at the top of the hill

Mamaila, South Africa

Kgopotso Magoro, inspired by an OpEd that claimed that “coming from a rural area is like being cursed” for the lack of opportunities available, started a journey that would lead to the creation of the Mamaila Community Network.

Five people in the field next to some pine trees.

Buenos Aires, Cauca, Colombia

To overcome decades of conflict and isolation, a Colombian community builds their own network. With the right policies they might be able to use it.

Learn how the community and local organizations are working to change regulations and reconnect to the world.

Contribute to a world where everyone can benefit from the Internet’s opportunities.

Image copyrights:
© Nyani Quarmyne, © Gustavo Castellanos Echazú, © Natalie Campbell, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Nyani Quarmyne, © Internet Society, © Colnodo