How one man’s internet café in Yemen became a hub for gaming and learning
Mohammed is a dedicated resident of Yemen, and he has turned his passion for gaming and education into a lifeline for his community through "Power Net," an internet café he established to provide both entertainment and learning opportunities for local youth. Despite Yemen's challenging conditions like frequent power outages and economic hardships, Mohammed's initiative is standing strong after all these years.
At Power Net - which was established nearly four years ago - kids not only find a safe space to enjoy gaming but also access free STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) classes, opening doors to future opportunities in a region where educational resources are quite scarce. Mohammed's commitment to these classes has even led to the celebration of students receiving STEM certificates, as apparent by one of his Reddit posts.
Unfortunately, the internet café operates under tough conditions. Mohammed frequently grapples with power cuts, relying on diesel generators to keep the café running—which is made even more challenging by rising diesel prices and the constant need for generator repairs. His gaming rigs, mostly built with core i5 4th generation processors and 8GB RAM, are barely sufficient for popular games like Counter-Strike, Rainbow Six Siege, and GTA V on low settings. However, the lack of a stable electricity supply has led to hardware issues, including the breakdown of GPUs like the 1050 Ti due to constant power cycling.
Thankfully, community support has been a beacon of hope in these times. After sharing his story on Reddit in r/pcmasterrace, Mohammed's posts went viral, attracting global attention. A fair amount of assistance poured in, with online samaritans pledging donations of UPS devices, solar power solutions, and even computer hardware like DDR3 RAMs. This outpouring of support helped sustain Power Net and added fuel to Mohammed's mission, which is pretty evident in the joy and pride of the children holding their STEM certificates.
Mohammed's internet café is not simply a business; it's a community hub, a classroom, and a symbol of hope for young minds eager to learn and grow despite the odds. If you're interested in contributing to Power Net, Mohammed's friend in the US has set up a GoFundMe account for him. All the donations get transferred to Mohammed's Western Union account in Yemen, since GoFundMe isn't available there yet. As of writing, a little over $11,000 has been raised in total.
