4restlink | Indigenous Connectivity in the Amazon

4restlink satellite connectivity in the Amazon

Indigenous Connectivity

Connecting remote Indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon to emergency communication, healthcare coordination, territorial protection and education, through community-requested satellite connectivity.

An initiative of the 4rest4all Association

Communication between villages

Communication between villages is what holds a people together. When a community can speak with another community, when a leader can reach a doctor, when a mother can call for help, the territory becomes stronger. We have seen it with our own eyes: a single connection can change the life of an entire village.

That is why we bring Starlink internet to Indigenous communities that decide for themselves that they want to be connected. We do not arrive where we have not been called. Every connection begins with a direct request from leaders and communities, grows through dialogue and assembly with those who will receive it, and continues after installation, with maintenance and equipment renewal over time.

Today we work in four territories: Vale do Javari, Xingu, Yanomami, and Balaio. Each one has its own history, its own leaders, and its own pace. What unites them is the same simple truth: when villages can talk to one another, the forest protects itself.

Indigenous person browsing the Kapyvanaway Association website on a tablet

The journey

From a single demand to a network of protection

We do not arrive where we have not been called. This is the story of how 4restlink began, grew, and continues — slide by slide, follow the thread.

2022 - 2023

The demand

A call from the forest

Marubo leaders in the Vale do Javari voiced a direct demand: their communities needed to communicate with one another. Geographical isolation should never mean being left without a voice during an emergency.

August 2023

First contact

One antenna, one conviction

The first Starlink reached the community of Kapyvanaway. From there, meetings, dialogues and an assembly with the communities led to a unanimous decision: 20 Marubo villages on the Ituí River should be connected.

September 2023

The mission

20 antennas, 20 villages

A small team travelled deep into the Amazon carrying 20 Starlink units. Reaching the communities required six hours by boat and, for some locations, two additional days walking through the forest. Each antenna was distributed in coordination with Marubo leaders.

The bridge

Collaboration

An international bridge

Allyson Reneau provided the 20 Starlink units and joined the expedition. Brandon Weaver documented the journey. Flora Dutra coordinated the project alongside Enoque Marubo and the Kapyvanaway Association, connecting technology to real community priorities.

Beyond installation

Ongoing relationship

A commitment that renews

The work did not end with installation. We continue to maintain the equipment and renew the commitment. The number of connected communities in the Vale do Javari has already reached 25, and we need support to keep them connected.

Today

Three territories

From one river to three territories

What began in the Vale do Javari now extends to the Yanomami and the Xingu, each with its own history, its own leaders, and its own pace. Every connection still begins with a direct request from the communities.

Evidence of Impact

Three years of connection in practice

In 2023, our team supported the connection of 20 Indigenous villages in the Alto Ituí region of the Vale do Javari, creating a communication network serving approximately 1,000 people in one of the most remote regions of the Brazilian Amazon.

Starlink satellite dish installed on a wooden post in the Amazon

Encontro entre Flora Dutra e liderança indígena no Vale do Javari

Indigenous villages connected

Across the Alto Ituí region, Vale do Javari

1,000+

People reached

Families, leaders, teachers and health workers

Years of continuous engagement

Beyond installation, ongoing relationship

300+

Coordination meetings

Leaders coordinating across villages

Connectivity became part of everyday territorial life. Over three years, Indigenous leaders used connectivity to maintain communication between villages, hold more than 300 coordination meetings, discuss priorities, coordinate collective decisions and respond to urgent needs across villages.

Beyond access

Connectivity is not the final result.
It is infrastructure for autonomy.

A functioning communication network helps communities coordinate emergency responses, strengthen local governance, support education, document territorial concerns and participate more directly in institutional processes.

What began with 20 villages in 2023 now provides the operational experience and community relationships guiding the next phase of 4restlink.

Support the next phase

Where we work today

82 communities, one commitment

Each territory has its own history, its own leaders, and its own pace. Select a territory to read its story.

Where it began

Vale do Javari

25 communities connected

In August 2023 we sent the first Starlink to the Vale do Javari, to the community of Kapyvanaway, in response to a direct demand from the communities so they could communicate with one another. From there, meetings, dialogues, and an assembly with the communities led to a unanimous decision: 20 Marubo villages on the Ituí River should be connected for safety, to speed up medical care and allow communication between them. Today we are renewing the equipment and renewing the commitment. The number of connected communities in the Vale do Javari has already reached 25, and we need support to keep them that way.

Indigenous partner

Kapyvanaway Association

Our commitment

This work began years ago and keeps growing: today we respond to countless calls from leaders, communities, and Indigenous associations that do not want to be left out of this network of communication and protection. To keep the communities we already serve connected, and to reach the next ones, we rely on the support of those who believe that connectivity is also territorial protection.

Support this work

Our next action

82 new connectivity units mapped

The next phase of 4restlink will support the deployment of new connectivity units mapped for remote communities across four territories, in partnership with five Indigenous associations. The team and associations are developing the official implementation plan, logistics, community training and mechanisms for monitoring each connectivity point.

Select a signal

The first priority

All territories

82units mapped

The first priority is to reach locations where communication is directly connected to health emergencies, territorial protection, education and coordination between communities and their representative organizations.

Community-led implementation

Each location will be assessed individually. Equipment will be installed according to local priorities, logistical conditions and community governance. Training will prepare designated community members to operate the systems, manage access responsibly, identify technical problems and maintain direct communication with the 4restlink support network.

Help fund the next 82 units

From the field