In the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, students across the globe suddenly found themselves being confined in their homes - resorting to online education as the only means of learning and paving their way ahead. The situation in India was no less different, however the economic disparity only became worse with time. Students coming from under-resourced communities found their education coming to a standstill since the digital divide became more prominent. Their lack of access to and affordability for devices such as smartphones, which until now wasn't in question, has became a major obstacle in their educational journey.

To acknowledge & work on this gap, while also providing the resources to those who need it, GirlUp Roar joined hands with Digital Empowerment Foundation.  With this fundraiser, we aim to crowdsource devices from urban and metro cities and redirect it to the rural communities in order to bridge the digital divide that is especially evident during Covid-19. In times when basic amenities have become a privilege for many, the purchase of a Smart Phone is a far-fetched dream . Therefore, we wish to collect funds that can suffice purchase of as many phones as possible so as to donate these to the ones who don’t even have access to a single internet-based device. This will help the students to overcome atleast some of the many limitations posed by online education.

For every 5000 INR raised, one student would get a smartphone that could help them regain their access to uninterrupted & free flow of education online. So, this holiday season, be someone’s Secret Santa and help them have the precious gift of education.