Campaign to buy laptops for children in direct provision launched

A campaign has been launched to help buy laptops for dozens of children struggling to do schoolwork while living in direct provision.

Almost €5,000 has been raised to help supply the laptops and other equipment needed for more than 120 children housed in direct provision centres in Co Wicklow.

After schools closed in March, many children in the asylum centres have had little access to education.

They have been limited in their ability to continue their studies at home due to the living conditions and lack of access to the computers and the internet.

Roxanne Ndlovu, a 14-year-old from South Africa, has been living in a Wicklow direct provision centre for almost eight months and shares a room with her mother.

The teenager, who is a first-year student at Loreto Secondary School, said she is struggling to do schoolwork.

"It's difficult as I have to do the work on the mobile phone which is a real struggle.

"There are no laptops at the centre which makes doing school work hard," she said.

"My school sends work to us but I have difficulty accessing it on the phone and it means I have been left way behind in the work.

"If we get laptops I will spend the summer catching up on the work.

"It would be great to get a laptop as it means I will be able to do all the work on time and not be left behind.

"I am enjoying the schoolwork and I love art and English.

"It would mean a lot to me to have a laptop."

Roxanne lives in the centre with 20 other schoolchildren who do not have access to the right facilities.

Her mother Jackie Sieanda said: "It's been challenging using the phone to do schoolwork and it means she has missed out on some emails.

"If the kids get the laptops it will be very exciting and it will make it much easier for all of us."

The family spend around €20 a month on internet data as there is no WiFi in the centre.

The family have also found it challenging to stay protected from Covid-19 as there is little space in the centre

The Dublin branch of Udemy, a global online teaching platform, started the fundraising campaign and is aiming to raise a minimum of €10,000 to purchase laptops for 120 children over the next two weeks.

Donations can be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/udemy-refugee-children-in-need

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