The Calgary Ethiopian Community Association, with a grant obtained from the Canadian Government through the Canadian Red Cross, has recently donated laptops to those members of the community who are directly or indirectly affected by COVID19. The laptop donation helps families living with limited income to search for jobs, attend online schools and trainings and get connected with the rest of the world. When the pandemic hit Calgary and the rest of the world, a higher percentage of families in our community didn’t have a computer at home, or if it’s a large family, one device was not enough. Today, with the help we made, at least 40 families have a laptop in their house. In this pandemic time, families not having a computer at home adds to the stress that affects their mental health and well-being. Since the arrival of COVID19, laptops became the new backpacks. Our job is to find ways to donate laptops and connect families to technology and reduce the digital divide. The digital divide or inequity will only going get bigger, especially in education, if we don’t work on getting a laptop for every individual and family in our community. We thank the Canadian Government and Canadian Red cross for their extended help, and hope to see more.
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