Boat People SOS’s Neighborhood Empowerment and Support through Teamwork project proposes to provide broadband access, training, education, and support for the underserved Vietnamese immigrant and refugee community that comprises a third of the population of Bayou La Batre and the surrounding areas of Mobile County, Alabama. The project plans to offer broadband access and education through its Community Technology Center and enhance existing access and education at two community anchor institutions: the Bayou Clinic, which is a local health organization, and Alba Middle School.

This project intends to provide skills development opportunities for low-income residents and those with limited English proficiency in communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, offering a range of training in computer skills,online accounting, and web marketing. Instructors will also offer basic training on computer use and Internet access for those with limited computer literacy with training in English, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Khmer, and Lao.