I recently returned from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, where my flatmate Ross and I spent two weeks working at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH). This work was the culmination of a few months of brainstorming, planning and fundraising as part of the Honduras Lab Project, my effort to provide the children at NPH with reliable Internet access and updated computers, and to develop infrastructure to allow a nearby surgery center to share an Internet connection with the orphanage.

My original goals were to improve the existing satellite Internet connection; to erect long-range WiFi antennas to send an Internet signal from the satellite connection to the school and surgery center situated 1 km away; and to set up a demo lab at the school showcasing new educational software so teachers could update the school’s technology curriculum. I also had hoped to begin implementing a computerized inventory system in the surgery center, but this was a somewhat lesser goal before the trip.

On our first day, we climbed the roof of the surgery center looking for a building in the heart of the NPH campus where we could place one of our antennas. Our plan was to place one antenna on the surgery center roof, and another antenna on a building where Internet access was already available, thereby bringing Internet access to the surgery center.

The long-range antennas we brought are capable of sending a signal 5 miles, but we were ultimately foiled by dense tree cover. We did stumble upon what might turn out to be an even better approach for bringing Internet to the school and surgery center, using existing power lines to send a signal instead of WiFi.

I was made aware of previous efforts to improve technology on the ranch, and after interviewing ranch administrators I realized that although new technologies had been introduced, ranch staff lacked the skills to maintain the improvements so the previous efforts had been reverted. I spent the remainder of the first week teaching Roger and his assistant Juan Carlos, who maintain the computers on the ranch, new skills that I felt would prepare them for whatever technology improvements the ranch might see in the following few years.

Half-way through our stay, there was a soccer match. These guys are good.

We spent a lot of time playing with the kids. Most games consisted of jumping over sticks.

Sugar, the educational software that I demoed for the teachers was a huge hit. Sugar is a collection of learning activities that allow young children to create music, paintings, animations, stories, and more. The lab computers were too slow to get Sugar running acceptably, but the demos I gave have set a course for a vastly improved technology curriculum, and I will continue to work with other volunteers to bring Sugar to NPH.

Perhaps our greatest success was that we setup a digital inventory system for the surgery center. We brought a Nexus One (I wish my smartphone a happy and active retirement) and 700 pre-printed barcode stickers, which we stuck to shelf after shelf of supplies. It is now possible for medical volunteers to see which supplies are dwindling so they can pack the right equipment before traveling down. The medical staff were beyond thrilled!

We spent our last few days enjoying the beautiful weather, and swimming in a nearby dam.

We are very grateful to Stefan Feuerstein for welcoming us to NPH. Hopefully, I will return later this year to pickup where we left off!