Escaping Ukraine - Part 3

5 reasons to care for digital equity 

Escaping Ukraine - Part 2

One year on. Remembering the displacement of Ukraine’s people and the importance of technology in solving their challenges.

This is the first of 4 posts we’ll share in the coming weeks about the impact connectivity had on the lives of those fleeing conflict and establishing new lives elsewhere.

One of our themes is “Connecting Women” and today we were able to deliver phones to a women’s shelter to support them as they are building a new safer life with their families.

Much of our e-waste still ends up in illegal sites in Africa, causing serious issues for the local population. Could there be a better way to dispose of your IT equipment?

The discussion surrounding the latest technologies and emerging digital resources often seems to be missing the voice of the so-called ‘silver surfers’ — the elderly, who might benefit from these technologies the most.

The last weeks have left long lasting impressions on me. First we went to the Romanian Ukrainian Border at Siret and then to Berlin in Germany, let me explain. - Ben Mansell COO theunconnected.org

Only 29 years ago, December 1992, when a 22-year-old software developer Neil Papworth sent a text message saying “Merry Christmas” to a colleague, you could say it had a similar impact on communication.

ICTs and technology can contribute to Sustainable Development Goal10, Reduced inequality within and among countries, but to do so, it is essential to know how the world is in terms of the digital divide to find better solutions.

Despite being the second-largest online market with over 560 million internet users, less than half of India’s population has access to the internet. As in other parts of the world, the digital divide in India increased during the pandemic.

Opinion Article: How can connectivity help accelerate the SDGs?

Why a book? Instead of a half a bread? Why libraries? Why learning? Why education?

The answer today is the same it was in 1931. To raise really free-thinking humans, able to understand human values like justice, freedom, democracy, love, honesty, dignity, compassion, courage, friendship, loyalty, respect, generosity, kindness.

In this blog post we are shining a light on the digital divide in Africa.

Africa is the content with the with the lowest internet penetration rate at 39% of the population, compared to a global average of nearly 60%.

I first met the team on a zoom call and it was great to see all the individuals from different fields who all share the same passion towards the vision of theunconnected.org to connect over a 1 Million NEW people to the internet by 2025.

I am one of theunconnected.org’s ambassadors based in Mexico. I have been working with the team on the ground to launch a project where together with NGO Mentors International, we are offering broadband internet at no-cost to people who would otherwise have no internet connection.

Connectivity enables greater access to education and health services, powers financial inclusion and supports the development of new micro-business and efficiency improvements in existing ones. But it is not evenly distributed by any means.

Did you know there are still 3.2 Billion people unconnected globally and the vast majority of them are female? The root causes are complex and driven by social and cultural barriers that can only be overcome by the collective drive of all of us.

Here in the UK we’re in another stringent lockdown, how would life be if we didn’t have the internet?

Take a second to think about your day to day life today and the role connectivity plays in that, is it now so pervasive that you, like me, take it for granted?

Across a range of large and developed economies, the internet exerts a strong influence on economic growth rates. Looking at the World Development Report you can clearly see the decrease in transaction cost and the increase in development.

UNICEF director states that the “Digital Gap is more like a Digital Canyon” as two thirds of the worlds school children do not have internet connectivity at home.