“ Whenever we implement one , we have kids coming to us every 10 seconds wanting to look inside or ask questions . It ’ s a nice feeling to see what we can achieve when we put the technology and people together .”
— Ruan Malherbe , client solutions technologist , Dell Technologies
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For Malherbe , witnessing the young kids ’ excitement in these rural areas has made the work of configuring the SCHs more than worth it . The projects have reached more than 18,000 students and facilitated more than 10,000 hours of digital learning per location in eight years .
“ Whenever we implement one , we have kids coming to us every 10 seconds wanting to look inside or ask questions ,” Malherbe says . “ It ’ s a nice feeling to see what we can achieve when we put the technology and people together .”
Each SCH is unique in the way it addresses community needs by providing services beyond education . Leveraging health services capabilities in Boa Esperança , for instance , is an example of such local specificity .
WHEN DIGITAL MEANS SUSTAINABLE In Boa Esperança , Rivelino Claro Carvalho found new work and new confidence at the SCH . He ’ s lived in the region for 35 years , and his family has always worked in the fields or mines . He started using the SCH to communicate with relatives and friends who live far away and to connect with healthcare providers .
His involvement led to a job with FAS , where he works as the head of telehealth , maintenance and operations for the SCH .
“ The first conversation I had with FAS , I was scared , but I soon realized that I was capable of doing the job ,” he says . “ I had the support of FAS employees , and I repeated to myself , I am capable , and I will handle it .”
Carvalho , 42 , notes that the benefits of the SCH have impacted the entire community . Residents now have access to the internet , which has “ improved communication , the availability of potable water , medical care , vocational courses and income generation ,” he says .
Hipy adds that the SCH is giving a new generation of Amazon residents access to digital tools and new paths for their future . “ The educational support for young people has been fundamental and has had a great result ,” she says . “ Many of them are taking distance learning courses and do not need to travel from their communities and homes to the city for this .”
Notably , the Brazil project can only exist in the region if the residents agree to the terms of the Bolsa Floresta program , a government initiative that aims to decrease deforestation through community building .
“ The families understand that the projects come to them because they comply with the rules , such as not carrying out deforestation ,” Silva reports . The residents must also harvest other forest resources in a manner that doesn ’ t compromise the forest ’ s resilience .
The result is a full circle effect : The SCH helps improve the lives of the people living in the Amazon and , in doing so , the SCH helps cultivate a more sustainable relationship between the rainforest and its residents . Most impactfully , this unique center transforms lives and enables community members to live and work in the region for generations to come . ■