Companies big and small are being urged to donate unused computers to support disadvantaged children and young people to do their school work.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Warrington Borough Council has joined forces with Laptops for Kids – a charitable organisation that facilitates the donation, secure erasure, and distribution of used digital devices – to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds, so they can access the technology they need to participate in remote learning.
Laptops for Kids has been running similar projects across the country, supported by local authorities and businesses, to ensure young people who may be at risk of falling behind with their education to have access to the internet and equipment at home to support their learning.
If your business would like to donate laptops, please visit: smartsurvey.co.uk/s/wbclaptopsforkidsproject or email the council’s education team at education@warrington.gov.uk
For more information about Laptops for Kids, visit ltfk.co.uk/warrington.
LfK have already received over 500 laptop donations to support children in Warrington, however with a target of over 2500, LfK would welcome any donation of devices companies are able to give.
Gary McKeating, head of community and development at Sellafield Ltd, said: “One of the priorities of our social impact programme is ensuring our support is targeted towards areas of greatest need. We know some children have struggled to access laptops during lockdown and if they need to isolate and are unable to attend school. However, we aren’t best placed to say which children and schools need support. This is why we’ve donated through the project to ensure the equipment goes to those who need it most.”
Jacobs Critical Mission Solutions International Senior Vice President Clive White said: “The pandemic has made us all more aware that some children need much better access to IT if they are to succeed at school. We are supporting this excellent initiative as part of our commitment to deliver social and economic benefits to the communities where we operate.”
Mahdiya Malik, HR & CSR Manager at Vaultex UK Ltd, said: “As part of our CSR programme we are always looking at ways in which we can support people living in social mobility cold spots to have the same opportunities as all. The pandemic has brought so many changes to everyone’s lives, especially for school children who have had to get used to remote learning. We know that not everyone has access to the equipment needed for remote learning, which is why we at Vaultex wanted to donate desktops that were no longer required for the business to children and young people who needed it the most”
