IT-focused missions projects for IT people?

While there’s great value in mission projects that build homes and such, many IT folks would rather use their IT skills in the mission field. For a few years, several of us in the Church IT Roundtable community have discussed how cool it would be to have IT-focused missions projects for IT people. Well, my buddy Clif Guy is turning this into a reality.

Next Friday (April 29th) I’ll be joining Clif and 2 other IT peers to head to Petit Goave, Haiti for 10 days to continue an IT project Clif’s been working on over there for the past year.

The Methodist Church of Haiti (Église Méthodiste d'Haïti or EMH) has a number of facilities in the town of Petit Goave (“petty gwahve”) within 1.5 miles of each other that include a church, school, offices, a medical clinic, a guest house, residences, conference facilities, etc.  Our project is to light up 5 buildings with Wi-Fi via building-to-building wireless Ethernet bridges (Ubiquity Nanostation Loco M900 and Ubiquity AirRouter) and connecting the network to two Internet circuits with failover capability.  One of these buildings is a school where we are also installing a computer lab as part of another IT project.  Here's a Google Earth view of the target buildings with red lines indicating building to building links to be established.

We're also hoping to have installed and working 2 new sattelite ISP links as the local ISP is very unreliable and has massive packet loss. On his third trip to Haiti in March, Clif took a small IT team to start this wifi project and got perhaps 25-30% done.  After our upcoming trip, He expects one more trip will be required in late July to complete this particular project.  When finished, more IT teams will be needed in the coming years to assist the EMH with IT needs in the disaster area and throughout Haiti.  Clif is also in the process of procuring grants to fund these future projects.

Why am I going?

1-    Clif sweet talked me into going. He has a very sultry seductive voice! ;-)’
2-    Gain in the field 1^st hand knowledge and experience setting up reliable building to building wLAN connectivity in about the worst possible conditions for success. Power issues, ISP issues, satellite issues, environmental issues, lack of IT equipment local (you can’t just run to Best Buy and purchase something you need), etc.
3-    Recon to see if this IT-focused missions work is something we could piggy back/reproduce for Granger’s mission efforts in India and elsewhere.

Cool eh? There are over 600 people that are in some way directly connected to our Church IT Roundtable community. Imagine what could be accomplished if small teams took on various IT projects across the globe to further God’s Kingdom!! 

Interested in being part of a future IT Project?  Next trip to Haiti is tentatively planned for July 22-31 and no you don’t have to be affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Leave a comment below or email Clif for more info.

Haiti tidbits I didn’t realize: Port Au Prince, Haiti is only a 2hr flight from Miami, FL. Haiti stays on Eastern Standard Time year ‘round just like Indiana used to :)

I’m very curious (and I know Clif is too) to hear your thoughts pro/con about these IT-Focused mission projects. Why would or wouldn’t you want to join a future IT project?  Are there other IT-focused mission opportunities that you know of?

** Also, wanna help support my upcoming trip?  I'm trying to raise another $500 by next Thursday. Just 50 peeps at $10 would do it so any support would be appreciated. Hit this paypal link. [$345 raised as of 4/24 6pm EDT]

[edit: We spent a huge chunk of Episode60 of the Church IT Podcast talking about IT Missions opportunities. Check it out http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=6983&cmd=tc CHOOSE Episode 60]

[edit: Here are a bunch of pics I took on my Haiti Trip http://www.flickr.com/photos/99228274@N00/sets/72157626668565029/ and here are Clif's pics http://www.flickr.com/photos/11029892@N08/sets/72157626691818798/ ]

Comments

[Luke911]

Just donated a little, I'll keep you guys in my prayers and good luck.

[Jason Powell]

Thanks on both accounts! :)

[Djberg]

This summer I'll be taking my 3rd annual trip to the Navajo Nation doing IT and missions work to assist ministries out there. It's amazing how much we take for granted technology wise and how just a little can greatly improve what they are used to. Will be praying for ya'll and the people you'll be able to reach.

[Jeremygood]

Praying for a safe and productive trip for you guys! I'd be interested in the July trip. Looking to do something like that this year.

[Sgoodger]

I was in Accra, Ghana 4 years ago focusing on supporting a local church and their computer lab which was used to teach local students the validity of technology. I was also involved in planning the network for a ministry in Togo. While I haven't had the chance to go back, it was then that I realized the possibilities for IT in ministry and missions.

[Glenn Kelley]

Learn as much as you can from @countryConnections' Mark Stephenson (also the VP of www.WebEmpoweredChurch.org ) and his son Thomas. They know the UBNT gear inside and out - and cover over 1800 SQ miles of Wireless Lan here in Ohio.

[Matthew Barker]

This is something that I have been looking at getting involved with for a long time. IT missions are very much needed, but for me at least, finding how to get involved has been a huge struggle.

[T.R. Knight]

If you are interested in IT missions then you might want to check out ICCM (International Conference on Computing and Mission) at Taylor University in June. http://www.iccm.org.

Jason, are you or any of your team going to attend ICCM this year?

[Brian Marquis]

Wow, this is awesome. So often, teams doing physical labor, versus mental. Just donated as well. God bless!

[Chris McRae]

ITs or others interested in the installation of solar power for water filtration or other power needs in Haiti can go to Solar under the Sun's website (solarunderthesun.org). You can make this a meaningful part of your outreach with this training.