If you fly one hour east from Miami you'll cross over the islands known as the Bahamas, and then you will land on the long, narrow island of Eleuthera.

Eleuthera began, as most islands do, as a coral reef. It gradually assumed a very unusual shape, long and thin, with much shoreline. It is also unusual in that it is relatively hilly, reaching an elevation of 100 feet, much more than most of the other Bahamian islands, and Florida. This fact gives it a scenic advantage, unshared by the other Family Islands, or Out Islands. Generally, Eleuthera is 3-4 degrees cooler than Florida, with constant sea breezes; birds abound, and are characteristicly heard everywhere, once outside the towns.

The original inhabitants of Eleuthera were the Arawaks. They came to Eleuthera from the coast of the Yucatan in Mexico, and Florida. They knew how to weave cotton cloth, and made spears with fish hooks made from the tortoise shell. They lived primarily on fish, and shellfish. The Arawaks, a peaceloving people, were not displaced by the warlike Caribs, who did so in all of the other Lesser Antilles.

Eleuthera is not as well developed as Grand Bahama (Freeport), or New Providence (Nassau).Today, Eleuthera's economy consists mostly of fishing, boating, and tourism. It is used mainly by Canadian, Italian, German, and American tourists as a vacation spot, and, for some, a temporary winter home.

In the summer of 2004 the Café was to send pentium computers to schools in Eleuthera. In the Fall of that year a team of technician/teachers were expected to travel from Minnesota in the U.S. to that Island. The team would then install from two to five computers in each of the designated schools throughout the Island.

Although Eleuthera is a great destination in need of our help, it was also a chosen path for hurricanes Frances, Ivan, Jeanne and Karl. The schools where we were to install PC’s made it through the storms just fine, however, these same structures had become shelters for the surrounding islands and Eleuthera herself.

Thankfully, in early 2005, Rotarian Matt Nielsen and his wife Jennifer were able to journey to Eleuthera where they distributed PC’s and taught computer classes in the facilities that had once again become schools.

Click Picture to enlarge

PC's arrive in Eleuthers

Some PC's are delivered to their destination by car.

Some PC's must be delivered by boat.

Learning how to use computers.

The Rotary Cafe members Matt & Jennifer