The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is a large reservation in South Dakota that is home to the Oglala Lakota people. We are committed to bringing access to technology to Pine Ridge Reservation, empowering our relatives with the tools to pursue online education and secure remote job opportunities through access to computers. Pine Ridge, faces severe economic challenges due to multiple factors:
- Historical injustices: The reservation’s poverty stems from a history of massacres, land theft, broken treaties, and the forced removal of Native American children from their homes.
- Limited economic opportunities: With few job prospects and high unemployment, residents face significant barriers to financial stability.
- Poor infrastructure: The reservation lacks adequate economic and physical infrastructure, and many homes are substandard.
- Limited access to essential services: There is a shortage of medical facilities, clean water, and other critical services on the reservation.
- Slow economic development: Government-controlled economic development on reservations is often slow and complex.
- Complex legal restrictions: Legal limitations and federal policies hinder economic growth on reservations.
Pine Ridge has some of the highest poverty rates in the U.S., with the officially reported poverty rate for American Indians on the reservation at 53.75%, though many estimates suggest it may be over 80%.