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8 August 2025: Indigenous groups across Central and South America are establishing unique media and connectivity outlets with the help of a training programme organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
Since 2020, the ITU has partnered with 19 Latin American countries to educate indigenous communities in remote areas how to build, use, and maintain information and communication technology (ICT) networks.
Through these newfound measures of communication, Latin American indigenous groups have managed to overcome barriers like lack of infrastructure and geographic isolation, which are issues that can present communities with challenges in connectivity gaps. In Amblayo, Argentina, for example, communication outside the community previously required a two-hour-long uphill horseback ride for a weak mobile signal.
The Blended Training Programme for ICT Network Managers in Indigenous and Rural Communities utilizes five online courses of four weeks each, educating people on topics such as telecommunications policy to electricity. These courses are then followed by ten-day in-person “bootcamps,” during which participants are exposed to several hands-on activities.
Last year, 50 people graduated from a shorter, all-online course called Designing Community Connectivity Strategies for Indigenous and Rural Communities in Latin America. The course will be held again in September.
The programme’s success in Latin America has promoted its expansion into 21 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa, with ITU launching the new initiative in June in partnership with the African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute, the Association for Progressive Communications, and Rhizomatica.
Learn more about the ITU’s work.