Join us on 21 January 2025 at 3:00pm UTC for a community event introducing the Digital Resilience Hub! During the event, we will share the hub’s mission to promote digital inclusivity in meaningful ways, focusing on meaningful connectivity. If you are exploring innovative ways to connect resource constrained communities securely or seeking alternative tools for knowledge sharing, this event is for you.
At The Engine Room, we define meaningful connectivity as having access to a reliable, consistent, and high-quality internet connection that enables individuals to meaningfully participate in the digital world. This includes implementing solutions that bridge the digital divide, minimize barriers to access and provide offline access to information.
Through our years of dedicated support, we have identified unreliable internet connectivity as one of the main challenges faced by our partners in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. According to UNESCO, only 36% of Africa’s population had access to broadband internet in 2022. Additionally, internet shutdowns were recorded in 39 countries in 2023, predominantly affecting the Global Majority. This limited connectivity and disruption creates significant barriers for civil society organizations and individuals in resource constrained areas, preventing them from fully utilizing digital tools and opportunities.
About the Hub
At The Engine Room, our vision is to support social justice movements using technology and data safely, responsibly and strategically. In line with our vision, we launched the Digital Resilience Hub in 2024 — a platform that houses tools, resources, strategies and ideas for social justice organizations to strengthen their digital resilience. The hub shares strategies to enhance internet accessibility, foster inclusive communication and explore alternative tech tools for knowledge sharing such as community networks, sustainable websites and mapping tools.
We’re excited to host a guest speaker from Instituto Nupef, an organization leading the way in fostering meaningful connectivity within its communities. Instituto Nupef created Graúna to preserve online memory and safeguard content online, particularly around socio-environmental justice. They maintain a local portable server, with public interest media and files, which they take to traditional and Indigenous communities, allowing them to access the content offline.
Our guest speaker will share their experience tackling challenges in digital inclusivity projects within their communities. Their insights will offer valuable lessons for addressing issues like infrastructure gaps, privacy concerns, security risks, and the need for anonymity—all of which pose threats to meaningful connectivity.
Join us
Our call is happening on January 21 2025, at 3:00pm UTC. Register here to participate! For this call, we’ll be speaking in English. See you there!
Image: Musa Omusi