Donated laptops help refugees and migrants connect in their new homes

AMES refugee and migrant clients can now connect with critical services, education and employment more easily thanks to the donation of 189 repurposed laptops from 7-Eleven.

According to AMES CEO, Cath Scarth, “it can be incredibly difficult for new Australians to access the support, education, and employment services they need to successfully live, learn and work without access to basic technology.

“This is particularly true for our refugee clients, including those from Afghanistan and Ukraine who had to flee their homes so quickly and in many cases arrived without resources and the technology needed to access essential services.”

“Being able to provide these laptops through our People in Need Fund makes a huge difference to our clients. Trying to do online learning or access services such as healthcare is incredibly difficult using a mobile phone, so the laptops have been amazing.

Moska Amini, who arrived from Afghanistan in early 2023, said “We couldn’t bring lots of things when we came and it was so hard for us. Now with the laptop I can use it for my lessons and my sisters use it to apply for jobs.”

7-Eleven Chief Information Officer Drew Coffey said “the 7-Eleven tech team, and a number of suppliers worked together to reformat and repurpose the laptops to get them ready for use.

“We need to replace devices every few years, and usually, these are wiped and sent for e-recycling. By working together with Microsoft and Blue Connections, we have instead been able to completely reformat these devices, and add the basic software needed for them to have a new life with AMES refugee and migrant clients.

“It is important to us that we look at ways to reduce the amount of eWaste that might otherwise end-up in landfill, and being able to instead repurpose these devices to provide digital connectivity for AMES clients was a great outcome.

“We are incredibly proud to have made a contribution towards digital inclusion for new Australians, and we’ll be looking to see what’s possible when we complete routine device replacements in future.”