~10% (500 out of 5000) of our student beneficiaries don't own devices with which to access online learning. This revealed itself as a problem most acutely when COVID-19 forced Lebanese schools to shut their doors and students without the means to attend online classes were left stranded. But even without the backdrop of the pandemic, digital skills are essential in order to navigate the modern world. Students should be taught these skills in school, and they should be able to hone them at home.

In order to ensure that all of our student beneficiaries have access to online learning and have the opportunity to develop digital skills, we are raising money to purchase laptops we will then distribute to the schools where our Fellows serve. The devices will be used in computer lab settings; made available to students for homework, research, and project-based learning; and, should a catastrophe like COVID-19 shut the doors of Lebanese schools again, loaned out to our students on a semi-permanent basis so that they can attend online classes. These devices will have benefits both in the near and long term: they will allow our students to access the education they need now; and this education will provide our students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to ensure a better future for themselves and for Lebanon.

In order to support this cause, please visit our campaign page on Global Giving.