COVID-19 brought big challenges to schools, students, and families as the new school year started. Much of that meant remote online learning.
In the midst of the challenges, DiverseIT had some good news. Thanks to a grant received from the City of Albuquerque, DiverseIT is giving out refurbished desktop computers for FREE! We are working with other nonprofits to make sure online learning is more accessible to New Mexican families.
A local student works on her school work on a computer donated through DiverseIT
New Mexico’s Digital Divide
According to a nationwide 2018 Center Survey, 1 in 4 teenagers do not have a computer in their home. In all, Hispanic students are less likely to have computers than any other population. Furthermore, according to Albuquerque Public Schools (APS), around 24,600 (or 30%) of the 82,000 children served citywide do not have access to a computer at home.
Many New Mexico families simply don’t have computers or internet access to go back to school remotely during the pandemic. DiverseIT exists to help bridge the digital divide and bring new people into technology. This grant, is another way we are doing that work, and being part of the solution in educating New Mexico’s children. Since local students use these computers for school, the DiverseIT team equipped them with WIFI adapters, webcams, and speakers.
Teaming Up with Other Nonprofits
Adelante has a long history of working in collaboration with other nonprofits. DiverseIT is no exception. Through the City of Albuquerque grant, we reached out to multiple nonprofits that support children in an effort to spread the word and help as many people as possible.
Within the first few days, several nonprofits received computers from DiverseIT for students in need. The first computer recipients were Saranam LLC, a local nonprofit providing housing, education, and community-building programs for families experiencing homelessness. Saranam will be using these 10 computers for their families, setting up a learning center at their apartment site.
Next up, the great people at YMCA, DiverseIT, and Albuquerque Public Schools worked together to set up learning centers with access to computers and the internet. YMCA of Central New Mexico thus started the Y Club All Day program. At this program, they provide child care while also helping local kids attend school lessons. This is especially important for families of essential workers like nurses who are working during the pandemic but who might also have school aged children. The Y Club even has PE, too! DiverseIT provided 30 computers for the YMCA with 10 each to these three locations: the Horn Family YMCA, St Paul’s United Methodist Church, and the Albuquerque School of Excellence (a local charter school).
Support our Win-Win Mission!
This project, getting computers to students, is made possible by a grant from the City of Albuquerque. If you’d like to see us do more good in our community, support our mission by visiting DiverseIT for repairs or training. When you come to us to get trained or have your computer repaired for an affordable price, you are not only helping yourself, but you are also supporting the good we work to do in the community.
