White Swan Organizes With Newly Connected WiFi
In the modern era, connectivity has become essential infrastructure. The internet serves as more than communication — it functions as a lifeline for communities. Without online visibility, communities struggle to be heard and to access vital services.
ITDRC Believes in Potential
ITDRC volunteer Blessing Booth traveled to the Yankton Sioux Reservation in South Dakota through the projectConnect initiative, which aims to bridge the digital divide in underserved communities. Booth witnessed severe conditions there, including extensive flooding that began over a year prior, triggered by extreme weather events including cyclone bombs and heavy precipitation.
The flooding damaged infrastructure severely. Nearly half of the 67 homes on the reservation were condemned. Sewage contaminated water supplies, and flooding destroyed roads, the powwow arena, and the community pool. The tribe created makeshift dirt paths around flooded areas and organized their own response without government aid.
Booth installed four WiFi access points across the community: at the tribal court, community college, the reservation, and the employment office and community center.
Problems Here To Stay
Shelly Saunsoci, vice chair and employment rights director, recognized internet access as transformative. She stated: “ITDRC has been our biggest blessing.” With connectivity, she and her husband Chris established food delivery services, coordinating through Facebook to feed 40 families with three daily meals.
Samantha Dion, Shelly’s sister, manages a household of 14 people living with persistent water damage and mold-related asthma. The family relies on food deliveries and now benefits from homeschooling internet access.
The Climb Keeps the Yankton Sioux Going
Following installation, the community accessed new opportunities. Teenagers began enrolling in hybrid university learning programs. The tribe planned a socially-distanced classroom in the community center. Shelly developed a bakery window for coordinated food pickup scheduling.
Despite subsequent flooding that destroyed the playground and pool, community members continue rebuilding. Internet connectivity has fundamentally changed opportunities and daily operations on the reservation.
