What happens when one of the most remote places on Earth connects with the rest of the world? Island Conservation partnered with Lenovo and the community of Robinson Crusoe for the incredible Work for Humankind project to find out! And now Lenovo has produced an incredible, award-winning documentary to showcase this first-of-its-kind collaboration. 

Work for Humankind brought volunteers to Robinson Crusoe Island, located just off the coast of Chile, and saw these gifted professionals offer training, advice and expertise to community centers, high schools, local artists and the elderly. It also saw critical pieces of smart technology installed throughout the island, leaving a legacy of strong connectivity to the global community. 

After just six months, there have already been significant achievements, including: 

• Robinson Crusoe residents now have equitable access to internet connectivity. Roughly 10 years of technological progress was achieved in just one month! Use of the newly installed technology hub has extended to 30 percent of the island’s entire population, which has opened up new career possibilities, improved trade, increased tourism and provided IT learning opportunities for the community.   

• The 1,000 hours of volunteer expertise advanced the community’s vision of a sustainable future. Community members were able to launch initiatives that will increase the resilience of local food supplies, improve plastics and waste management, and much more. 
• Lenovo’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) server enabled Island Conservation field staff to detect invasive species far more efficiently. The process of analyzing hundreds of thousands of images from camera traps previously took months, and now takes just a couple of hours.  
• The campaign reached a global audience, garnering 3.6 billion total impressions. This includes more than 2,000 pieces of global coverage and 4,500 applications for the 16 available volunteer spots. It’s proved an incredibly effective campaign to amplify Island Conservation’s mission, promote Lenovo as a technology leader, and support the resilience of the Robinson Crusoe community. 

The project serves as a blueprint for working on archipelagos to promote conservation, education, sustainability and innovative technology. The documentary captures the magical biodiversity of Robinson Crusoe Island and the enthusiasm and passion of the volunteers. What’s more, it was a winner at the 2022 Annual Shorty Impact Awards! 

Enjoy the full documentary below: