Words by Smiley Team
A group of football fans who formed a community network in response to the Covid-19 crisis are celebrating after giving away more than 1000 laptops and tablets to school pupils.
The Keep Kids Connected project aims to help families who are in digital poverty, and whose children otherwise would not have access to laptops or tablets which have proven essential for home learning during lockdowns and quarantine periods caused by the pandemic.
The project is run by the Dons Local Action Group, a community group originally formed in March 2020 by a small group of AFC Wimbledon fans with the aim of helping people in the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth and in Kingston during the Covid-19 crisis.
Since then the group has grown to include more than 1600 registered volunteers in the community, who run a number of projects to support people who are vulnerable, isolated, in food poverty or simply those in need.
Keep Kids Connected works by local residents or businesses donating laptops or tablets they no longer need. The hard drives are then erased, the devices are refurbished and they are given out to schools or community groups in the area, who pass them onto children who need them.
So far the project has generated 2,000 volunteer hours spent collecting, refurbishing and delivering devices, £250,000 worth of equivalent tech funding provided to local schools and 113 schools and 39 community organisations have benefited.
Xavier Wiggins, co-founder of Dons Local Action Group said: “We are very grateful to everyone that has donated devices and helped us provide vital support to children during the pandemic.
“It’s a great start but we know there is still so much work to do. Each device we receive will enable children and families, who may have otherwise been overlooked, to have a fair education.”
Children at Kings Oak Primary School in Kingston are among those who have received a laptop or tablet. Debbie Fossie from the school said: “The Dons Local Action Group have made a massive difference to our children who are trying so hard to keep up with their work and stay connected to their teachers and classmates.”
The project needs donations of laptops and tech less than eight years old which are no longer needed, and they have also set up an Amazon Wishlist for anyone wishing to donate.
For more information see the group’s website or follow them on Twitter.
