February 8, 2022
Lockdowns exacerbated France’s digital gap and educational disparities. In March 2020, lockdown measures forced schools to move to remote learning, leaving disadvantaged children behind. The French Ministry of Education reported that over 500,000 low-income pupils dropped out due to the digital gap, creating an educational crisis.
The Foundation responded to the country’s schooling crisis, expanding the #WeAreAllConnected Initiative to France.
Thus, the following were implemented:
In 2020
- Échirolles Thomas Edison High School received 20 PCs in July 2020. One of the Foundation’s Board Members, Patrick Dureault, spoke about the digital divide and the Foundation’s goal.
- The Chambéry group “Ma Chance Moi Aussi” received 15 more laptops in September 2020 to help children, families, and teachers close the digital divide.
In 2021
- The French ST sites donated 100 more PCs to organizations to help them manage their educational operations. More in detail: 27 PCs were given to the La Garenne Highschool in Voiron and the La Varappe association in Aubagne in Q1 2021; 17 PCs were given to Vercors Sciences in Lans en Vercors and Grésifablab in Crolles in Q3 2021; and the Parents d’Elèves indépendant de Montlouis group, CSC La Passerelle, the University of Grenoble, and Marie Curie High School in Echirolles received 33 PCs in the fourth quarter of 2021.
In 2022
- In Q1 2022, 83 PCs were sent to the Foundation in Morocco to support the restart of activities in Morocco and setting up new DU labs
- In Q2 2022, over 60 PCs were dispatched to primary schools and high schools in Grenoble and Rennes
- In Q3 2022, some 30 PCs were allocated to various associations to support Ukrainian refugees in France, including 18 PCs to the Red Cross for its “Ukrainian Village” in Tours.
- In Q4 2022, More than 30 PCs were donated to associations to bridge the digital divide for adults and older people.
