Our Mission

The WiderNet Project works to deliver educational resources to underprivileged individuals and communities worldwide and improve their digital communication.

The WiderNet Project is a service program that began at the University of Iowa. It works to improve digital communication to all communities and individuals around the world in need of educational resources, knowledge and training.

Ten years of experience has taught us that the best way to do this is to take a holistic approach. We not only provide computers, all needed appliances and educational material, we also offer resources, coaching and training.

The latter is especially important because building human capacity enables people to be independent and self-sufficient using Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

The WiderNet Project serves many people who lack internet connectivity and information recources, but its work focuses especially on the needs in developing countries.

Why? The developing world lags behind the rest of the world in their access to digital information and communication:

• Currently, only one out of seven people have adequate access to the Internet.
• In many developing countries, universities may have a direct connection to the Internet, but not enough bandwidth to adequately serve their users.
• Only a fraction of professors and students have access to email and basic computer programs.

The result is the exclusion of these developing regions from global communication, and the exclusion of people seeking better education.

The WiderNet Project addresses these problems. We believe that ICT can empower people, giving them better access to information, knowledge and communication and in that way improve their overall quality of life.

We strive to help bridge the digital divide in communities and countries lacking ICT resources that are also suffering in the larger economic divide.

It's our mission to make educational resources and training opportunities available to these people so that they can join the rest of the world on an economically sustainable level.