Jhon Jairo inspects his internet cables — Jhon Jairo inspects the internet cables on his property, which he uses to distribute internet service to his rural community.

Jhon brings his community online in rural Colombia

Jhon Jairo’s home internet business connects his community, opening doors to education and opportunity

Located in the mountains of southwestern Colombia, the Gran Cumbal Indigenous Reserve in Cumbal, Nariño, is home to the Pastos Indigenous people. Jhon Jairo Irua Quenguan, a 34-year-old entrepreneur, is a proud member of the community. Born with an entrepreneurial spirit, he eventually built a convenience store next to his home. He also added a small plot of land to grow crops and raise livestock — both businesses made possible by small business loans from our partner Banco Contactar, a Colombian microfinance bank primarily serving rural communities.

As technology continued to reshape the world, Jhon saw a gap in digital connectivity that left rural communities like his isolated from the information and resources necessary for growth. “Since I was a child, I have been very interested in computers, technology, and communication,” says Jhon of his childhood interests. Growing up in a rural area, Jhon knows firsthand how his community is held back by limited technology and unreliable internet access.

Determined to fill this need, Jhon started with a single computer at his convenience store, providing local students and neighbors with an affordable way to connect to the internet. “I saw the option to first start with an internet room to provide service to students,” says Jhon, whose store and home are located just across the street from a school. “When we started, we first impacted the school here, because we were the first in the area to have internet service,” he says.

Encouraged by the impact of adding a computer to his store, he decided to expand his services and distribute home internet access to others. Today, his network provides internet services to 300 people across seven surrounding rural communities, including many students and families.

Jhon and Andrea at their store — *Jhon and his wife Andrea, who also runs the store.*

An entrepreneurial journey powered by inclusive financial services

To turn his vision into a reality, Jhon needed financial resources to make it happen. For him, those resources came from Banco Contactar, a financial institution dedicated to empowering entrepreneurs in rural and Indigenous communities. He began working with them to support his other ventures, his store and farm, and was able to acquire another loan to build his internet business. “Banco Contactar was already lending us a hand. We started with two million pesos at that time, which was enough for me to do a lot. Since then, I have continued to work with them,” he says.

Last year, Accion Digital Transformation Fund announced its investment in Banco Contactar, which aims to support Banco Contactar in leveraging digital technologies to better serve underserved rural customers across the country. Accion Digital Transformation provides growth capital and strategic support to companies undergoing digital transformation so they can use innovative technology to better meet the needs of underserved people and operate more effectively.

Jhon and his loan officer from Banco Contactar, Carmen — Carmen Alicia Peregueza, Jhon’s loan officer, demonstrates how to use Banco Contactar’s banking app. “[Jhon] has taught me a lot in terms of the perseverance he has had with his life, with every goal that he has set for himself, with what he says he’s going to do and he has achieved it,” she says.

Banco Contactar’s microfinance model combines technology products and human touch from a network of loan officers, serving rural customers through branches and digital platforms. “Every day, you go out, you learn from people, you learn from clients,” says Carmen Alicia Peregueza, Jhon’s loan officer from Banco Contactar. “He has taught me a lot in terms of the perseverance he has had with his life, with every goal that he has set for himself, with what he says he’s going to do and he has achieved it.”

In addition to the impact on his community, Jhon Jairo’s businesses have shaped his family’s life. “I have made it a family business,” says Jhon, who works alongside his wife Andrea. With the success of their ventures, they have been able to build a home for their family and provide for their children. His wife, Andrea, manages their store, and their children help out after school.

Jhon Jairo’s story is a testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurship in Colombia’s rural and indigenous communities. With the support of his family and financial services from Banco Contactar, Jhon is not only providing internet access; he is building a better future for his family and neighbors.