  We present spherically symmetric and plane parallel photoionization models of
NGC 346, an HII region in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The models are based on
CLOUDY and on the observations of Peimbert, Peimbert, & Ruiz (2000). We find
that approximately 45% of the H ionization photons escape from the HII region
providing an important ionizing source for the low density interstellar medium
of the SMC. The predicted I(4363)/I(5007) value is smaller than that observed,
probably implying that there is an additional source of energy not taken into
account by the models. From the ionization structure of the best model and the
observed line intensities we determine the abundances of N, Ne, S, Ar, and Fe
relative to O.
