internet cafe
Launching an Internet Cafe in Guatemala
Filed in: Social Enterprise
By Kat Vaughan
In January of 2001, I moved to San Pedro La Laguna, a village on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to launch PlanetOutreach, the first ever satellite internet cafe and telecenter around the lake. We received a generous grant from the eBay Foundation and another grant from the Skoll Foundation to help us get started. The village for this internet cafe was selected based upon one of my business partner's relationship with Colegio Bethel, a local school in the village. The goal, aside from providing travelers and locals the ability to communicate with their loved ones and bridge the digital divide, was to support teachers' salaries with profits generated from the internet cafe. (Years later, after I had left the project, I learned that they school never did receive any support from the internet cafe. Naturally, this was distressing for me to hear.) To help locals get tech savvy, we provided computer classes in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Indeed, it was an amazing 1.5 years of my life. I learned so much about living in a foreign country, setting up a social enterprise, living amongst the poor, and the humility of being a non-native Spanish speaker in a Tzutuhil and Spanish speaking village!
(eBay Belt Project and Meg Whitman in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala - July 2001)
With my three business partners stateside, we communicated through email, instant messaging and a webcam on a regular basis. They came down a couple of times for a week or two, but I was the one on the ground 24/7. In addition to the internet cafe, I worked with a large group of Mayan women to produce various fair trade products, including 3300 handwoven and embroidered belts for the employees and Board of Director's of eBay. In addition, I worked with artisans to design and market fair trade, handwoven and/or embroidered products, like aprons and hammocks.
In 2003, Adam Cohen published a book about eBay called "The Perfect Store". I was surprised to learn that the last chapter was about PlanetOutreach and, although well-written, had many erroneous facts about the launch of the internet cafe. It was disappointing for me that eBay would highlight this project when they only provided us grant money and had zero legal ownership. In addition, although one of my stateside partners worked for the eBay Foundation, I was never paid by eBay to launch the social enterprise, yet they took the story and made it appear their own. If I had it to do all over, however, I would do it again. Why? Because my passion for social justice remains and because it was a life changing experience.
Although the internet cafe has moved a few times, the technology center continues to this day, now managed and run by local Mayans. One of my first employees, Otto, has since named his first daughter after me, truly an honor for me. Indeed, my time in San Pedro was foundational for the development work I do now to empower the poor through fair trade, education and business. To learn more, click here and here.
In January of 2001, I moved to San Pedro La Laguna, a village on the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala to launch PlanetOutreach, the first ever satellite internet cafe and telecenter around the lake. We received a generous grant from the eBay Foundation and another grant from the Skoll Foundation to help us get started. The village for this internet cafe was selected based upon one of my business partner's relationship with Colegio Bethel, a local school in the village. The goal, aside from providing travelers and locals the ability to communicate with their loved ones and bridge the digital divide, was to support teachers' salaries with profits generated from the internet cafe. (Years later, after I had left the project, I learned that they school never did receive any support from the internet cafe. Naturally, this was distressing for me to hear.) To help locals get tech savvy, we provided computer classes in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Indeed, it was an amazing 1.5 years of my life. I learned so much about living in a foreign country, setting up a social enterprise, living amongst the poor, and the humility of being a non-native Spanish speaker in a Tzutuhil and Spanish speaking village!
(eBay Belt Project and Meg Whitman in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala - July 2001)
With my three business partners stateside, we communicated through email, instant messaging and a webcam on a regular basis. They came down a couple of times for a week or two, but I was the one on the ground 24/7. In addition to the internet cafe, I worked with a large group of Mayan women to produce various fair trade products, including 3300 handwoven and embroidered belts for the employees and Board of Director's of eBay. In addition, I worked with artisans to design and market fair trade, handwoven and/or embroidered products, like aprons and hammocks.
In 2003, Adam Cohen published a book about eBay called "The Perfect Store". I was surprised to learn that the last chapter was about PlanetOutreach and, although well-written, had many erroneous facts about the launch of the internet cafe. It was disappointing for me that eBay would highlight this project when they only provided us grant money and had zero legal ownership. In addition, although one of my stateside partners worked for the eBay Foundation, I was never paid by eBay to launch the social enterprise, yet they took the story and made it appear their own. If I had it to do all over, however, I would do it again. Why? Because my passion for social justice remains and because it was a life changing experience.
Although the internet cafe has moved a few times, the technology center continues to this day, now managed and run by local Mayans. One of my first employees, Otto, has since named his first daughter after me, truly an honor for me. Indeed, my time in San Pedro was foundational for the development work I do now to empower the poor through fair trade, education and business. To learn more, click here and here.
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