Solar Community Hubs from Dell Technologies for Remote Tribes

Dell Technologies launched its Solar Community Hubs approach, which is its existing Solar Learning Labs programme, in collaboration with Computer Aid, Intel, and Microsoft. The hubs increase access to technology, healthcare, and workforce skills for populations in rural areas around the globe.

The Solar Community Hubs will be developed using Dell technology, and it will include 5G, edge computing, and other services. Each hub will be run by the community and will provide services tailored to the requirements of that community. The hubs will serve communities with water and energy, as well as healthcare and environmental resources.

Technical skills training, entrepreneurship support, education and career guidance, and revenue-generating services are also available to community members to help with job creation and financial sustainability.

“Research shows that the greatest impact starts with empowering local communities,” said Cassandra Garber, VP of Environmental and Social Governance, Dell Technologies. “By introducing the Solar Community Hubs, communities will have access to resources and infrastructure to address their most pressing issues. This evolution puts community needs at the center, and we are eager to see – and be a part of – the impact these community partnerships will have around the globe.”

Dell Technologies and the Foundation for Amazon Sustainability (FAS) recently launched the first Solar Community Hub in Boa Esperanca, Brazil, bringing digital tools to community members in riverside communities and Indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Members of the community who previously had to travel long distances for modern services and education can now continue their education, take vocational courses, enrol in college, and prepare for the job market right in their own neighbourhood.

The centre was also built with circularity in mind, with reused shipping containers, sustainably sourced wood and furnishings, and solar panels to ensure that all gadgets are powered by renewable energy.

The project's participants are part of FAS' Bolsa Floresta programme, a government initiative launched by the State of Amazonas in 2008 to reduce deforestation through community development. The centres help people in the Amazon improve their lives, which leads to a more sustainable interaction between the jungle and its inhabitants.