From Rotary and US government funds to students in 63 schools in Abruzzo, Mars, Molise and Umbre

Funds to support families in need so that children can easily access training through technologies: This is the purpose of the project implemented by Rotary in collaboration with the United States Government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The second part of the project is in full operation in Abruzzo, Marche, Molise and Umbria, with the distribution of 397 tablets with keyboards to 63 technical institutes, for an investment of $100,000.

“School education as a result of the pandemic has seen a strong acceleration in the use of information technology, confirms Rossella Beccirelli, Governor of Rotary District 2090, but we know that a large number of children do not yet have a computer to study and communicate with the class group. A recent statistic from Istat showed that 12 % of students aged 6-17 do not have a computer or tablet at home and 57% are forced to share it with siblings or family members. Our organization has recognized this need, providing concrete assistance to bridge a punishing technology gap.” Through the “Usaid-Rotary in Italy: Communities against Covid-19” partnership, each of Italy’s thirteen Rotary provinces has access to at least three grants totaling $100,000 to support projects in health, education and community development. These days, IT hardware distribution is underway in technical institutes, in addition to the distribution implemented in the first Rotary District 2090 project for a total of 910 donated devices in the past three months.
“The pandemic has imposed on us a new way of learning, a virtual method that requires reliable hardware. Thanks to this initiative, hundreds of students will receive a tablet to properly resume their studies.
We are proud of this partnership with Rotary, through which we help students achieve their goals,” said Chargé d’Affairs to the United States Embassy in Italy Thomas D. Smitham (ANSA).