Wiltshire Digital Drive delivers 3,000th refurbished device
The non-profit organisation helps people get connected
A non-profit organisation in Wiltshire has delivered it's 3,000th refurbished device as it strives to bridge the digital divide.
Wiltshire Digital Drive (WDD)was launched during lockdown in 2020 to help people in need of a digital connection and they've continued their work beyond the pandemic to continue supporting those worse off in communities.
WDD Director Natalie Luckham said reaching the milestone is an "incredible feeling".
"When we set up Wiltshire Digital Drive during Covid, we did so with the knowledge that there were so many people out there who were feeling isolated and disconnected from the world because they didn’t have access to the digital tools they sorely needed.
"We looked to change that."
It's not just local people they're helping as WDD have teamed up with Christian charity Tools With A Mission to send 20 devices to remote communities in Africa.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Natalie said "It's been really humbling and exciting to support Tools With A Mission.
"We take IT and tech for granted here in the UK and things are moving incredibly quick here in terms of gadgets and devices and how we use them.
"But in remote countries, they're still at the beginning."
Natalie told us it's all about giving people an opportunity to forge their own career pathways and to become more self-sufficient amid, what she called, a growing tech scene in Africa.
The organisation isn't about simply giving a piece of technology, that might otherwise be discarded, a second life. Natalie told us that she takes great pride in the wider impacts of Wiltshire Digital Drive.
"It's actually giving people hope and connecting them to opportunities and key ways of living that most of us take for granted."
Natalie explained that children in families that can't afford multiple devices, or even a single device, aren't being given the same learning opportunities as those who can.
However, it's not just children being supported, as the organisation supports people fleeing domestic abuse, refugee's from Ukraine and people who have lost jobs as a result of the pandemic.
"Having access to a tablet or laptop means people can potentially work from home, start earning money to contribute to their household and make choices again and be more independent."
"Everyone needs something and a place to go where they can be given back a piece of their life," Natalie said, adding "I love that we're able to that and it means so much."
The organisation's impacts aren't limited to helping people, as the refurbishment of devices stops them heading straight into landfill, with 9,000 being saved from that fate.
"We live in a world where we're demanding more and more and more, and we shouldn't be doing that," Natalie said, "We should be looking at how we keep the stuff we have in circulation for longer."
WDD work with schools and charities across the county to get devices to those who need them. We can support their efforts by donating old devices to one of the several donation stations around Wiltshire and they're also looking for volunteers with a variety of roles on offer.