Computer donations help to reduce digital poverty in Thurrock
Digital devices have been donated to Grays Library
Local children in Thurrock now have access to a computer, thanks to an initiative from the charity Every Child Online.
45 youngsters can now use desktop kits at Grays Library, with pupils from Thameside Primary and Grays Convent school using the equipment.
Every Child Online collects old computers and tablets, donated by their users. It wipes out all the personal data on the machine, then cleans and rebuilds the laptops and provides them to local youngsters at risk of being digitally excluded.
Cllr Hartstean said: “Digital exclusion puts young people at a disadvantage in terms of learning and future life chances, and too many computers and laptops are ending up in landfill. What I love about this scheme is it is both helping the planet and supporting the education of our children.”
Mike Tarbard from Every Child Online said: “Throwing out your old digital devices could expose your personal data to criminal gangs. With every machine donated to us, we securely erase the device using certified data-destruction processes, ensuring all personal information is permanently removed, then we re-build them and provide them to local youngsters without a computer.”