THROUGH the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), residents of Region Nine have access to Government’s Free Wi-Fi and have been using this to advance their careers, communicate with their loved ones and for school.

A release from the agency, on Tuesday, updated that following a pilot project in 2017 at Sand Creek, Rupununi, the hinterland and remote communities across Guyana are being connected to the internet.

Health Worker at Fairview Health Post, Nyota Peters, said that the internet has helped with the efficiency of the delivery of health services within the community.
Peters said that sometimes the job requires health workers and nurses to network to find solutions to problems and she is now able to communicate easily using social media platforms such as WhatsApp. In addition, she is also able to connect with the headquarters in Georgetown.

“It’s benefitting me a lot, because I am in close contact with all my health centers using the service and I get to follow the news. It’s very beneficial to me and the community,” Peters told the NDMA. She had not stopped talking before two villagers, noticeably millennials, rode up on a motorcycle that they leaned against a tree stump while reaching for their phones to browse the internet.

Not far away, about 20km to be exact, is the Surama Community Centre where the Indigenous community proudly displays its art and craft for sale. This community also benefits from Government’s Free Wi-Fi and, more importantly, if any of the creative minds who produce the artefacts want to advertise their work, they simply ‘hop’ online.

“The internet in communities along the Lethem route is serving multiple purposes apart from basic communication and networking. It is connecting families with children who are studying in the coastland of Georgetown. It is helping health workers come up with speedy solutions to complex problems in the region. It serves as an important resource for researches in the region and, like at Annai Secondary, and Bina Hill, it assists students to complete their homework and School-Based Assessments,” the release stated.

Surama, like Aranaputa, IS home of Guyana’s brand of peanut butter and other value-added products from nuts and the community uses Government’s free internet for marketing. The NDMA stated, in the release, that these important functions of being able to connect to the internet via VSAT technology are the essence of what “bridging the digital divide” means.

Apart from residents, the Agency is also pleased that tourists and other citizens visiting the hinterland Region of Guyana can not only have the opportunity to communicate via Wi-Fi but share the photos they take of the beauty of Guyana.

“The Kurupukari crossing is one of the first wonders to experience on the journey to the town of Lethem overland. The rapids are absolutely beautiful and by the time you get to the Western side of the crossing, if you are interested, you could update your family and friends on social media of the experience using Government’s Free Wi-Fi internet,” the release stated.

“This is a common practice as scores of travellers take a break at the shops on that side of the crossing, while using their devices to engage in internet communication. Iwokrama River Lodge is a ‘stone’s throw’ in Guyanese lingo, and guess what, the NDMA has also connected this Lodge and Research Centre to the internet.”
The Agency stated that whether it’s Iwokrama, Kurupukari, Fairview, Surama, Wowetta, Annai, Rupertee, Bina Hill, Kwatamang, Aranaputa, Massara, Toka or Crashwater, travelling to Lethem overland has been revolutionised with access to ICT.