A literature review: a study of the lack of access to education and the internet for people in social vulnerability

The advancement of technology in the world over the last few decades has not been sufficient to mitigate a harsh reality: people living in social vulnerability without access to basic education and the internet. During the pandemic, this reality worsened: virtual classes were not the best solution for those who do not even have internet access. To this day, the educational system suffers from the consequences. Globalization, generalized solutions, COVID-19, and the digital world only serve to widen the gap of social inequality, discrimination, bias, and both social and digital exclusion. Faced with this reality, suggesting a project design within a classroom, without considering the people who live in the community, the local context, the real needs of the community, and without listening to people who live in this community, will not work. It will just to be another solution that does not address the real problem. Therefore, combining social empowerment and community development, with a humanitarian perspective, may be a good starting point to propose a viable way.This process starts in the moment we immerse ourselves in the real context of a real problem and listen to people without any bias towards what the community wants to say, thinking beyond the numbers and theories learned inside a classroom. In this review, we aim to call the attention to this reality, emphasizing the need to open our eyes and ears, increasing our perception of the real-world problems around us, and understanding the possibility of proposing something relevant for society through teaching engineering using technology for basic education. This study can be a first step toward others works, addressing achieve people who live in social vulnerability, in a way that enables them to live with dignity.