Our work to bridge the digital divide spans across the globe and we support and run small and large projects to reach our goal to connect 100 million people to the internet. 

Sometimes however the need for connectivity is closer to home than I would have thought… 

Whilst working on the border of Ukraine I got contacted by a famous Swedish podcast called “Wahlgren & Wistam”. They invited me to talk about the work we were doing and how important it was for the families as they crossed the Ukraine border into Europe to get their phones working, with a local SIM card and a charger and or a power bank.

When the podcast aired we got amazing support from their Swedish listeners, people donated money and helped spread awareness about the importance of connectivity and the work the unconnected.org are doing. 

One of the companies that contacted us was NKT, a Swedish cable company with impressive focus on sustainability. They asked if we would have use for their pre-loved smartphones. And of course we said yes! Some of these smartphones were immediately deployed to support refugee families and then we had to figure out the best way to deploy the rest of the devices. 

In Sweden, where I live, most people own a Smartphone so we were looking at ways to deploy them in our overseas projects, maybe to connect medical students in the middle east, trafficking victims in Thailand or maybe even educational facilities in the Indian slum. 

But as we are trying to be really conscious about shipping and transport, we’d rather find projects in the local areas where hardware has been donated than shipping it around the globe.

We came up with an idea…

I started calling around to women's shelters in Gothenburg where I live and the response was immediate, these phones will come to great use. 

Let me explain… 

Women’s shelters (sometimes called safe houses or refuges) provide safe and secure accommodation and specialist support for women and children escaping domestic and family violence. These amazing organisations welcome women and families and do incredible work to keep them safe. But one of the first things these women need to leave behind is her phone. It could be tracked and lead the people they are hiding from directly to where they are staying. 

Many women are not likely to have a budget to replace these phones so they are without a phone for a period of time whilst trying to find a new device. 

With the donation we received we can now ensure that 100’s of families that are visiting these shelters can now safely stay connected from day 1. 

After delivering the phones this morning to a hidden location, it was with a heavy heart I got back into the car after seeing bruised women and children having to hide to be safe but I felt we made a difference, small it might seem, but still we made a difference, and that is what keeps us going.  And as I was leaving a child as old as my own son with a bruise on the cheek happily announced ”I am hoping to go home tomorrow”... And with all my heart I do wish for that child to go home tomorrow, to a safe place… 

We are honoured to be able to link together companies such NKT and organisations like these women’s shelters but I am also frustrated and devastated that this is needed… But at least now these families are a step closer to building a new safer life.

Does your organisation have used smartphones, laptops or tablets we can deploy in our projects? Contact us and we will ensure they come to good use.

Mea Thompson

CCO Unconnected.org