Dubai launches campaign to collect 10,000 used devices for underprivileged pupils

The drive is also an attempt to cut down on e-waste in the UAE

The Digital School in Dubai aims to collect 10,000 devices for underprivileged children. Wam

A UAE-based foundation has launched a campaign to collect 10,000 devices from individual and institutional donors for underprivileged children worldwide.

The Donate Your Own Device campaign, in co-operation with Emirates Red Crescent and Ecyclex, is seeking donations of computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, telecom and networking devices, routers, switches, modems and printers, as well as accessories such as headphones, chargers and power banks.

The Digital School, a Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiatives project, said it will accept all devices, whether they are working or broken.

The collected devices will be refurbished and recycled and given to underprivileged pupils worldwide, enhancing their access to education through digital means.

Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, said as well as providing devices to those who need them, the campaign aims to cut down on e-waste in the UAE.

Globally, about 50 million metric tonnes of e-waste is generated each year – equivalent to 800 laptops per second.

Individuals can donate devices through any of the Emirates Red Crescent offices or arrange a home collection through the Reloop recycling app.

Organisations can fill out a form on the Donate Your Own Device website.

The campaign is also accepting donations through the ERC website or by sending an SMS to 2441 (for Etisalat users) and 3441 (for DU users).

Launched in 2020, the Digital School aims to provide an education to refugee and underprivileged children in four languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.

To date, the school has educated more than 60,000 pupils from Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania, Lebanon, Colombia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. It has also trained more than 1,500 digital teachers.

Updated: August 16, 2023, 12:40 PM