Charity brings internet access to Georgia’s IDP students

High school students from Georgia’s underprivileged families are now receiving internet access and educational opportunities via a charity initiative allowing anyone to donate to the cause.

Over 100 young students have benefited so far from the Educare Georgia fund project, titled Give Access, set up to open the gates of the world wide web to them.

School pupils living in the Tserovani internally displaced persons (IDP) settlement, 20km north of the capital Tbilisi, have been the first to benefit from the charity.

A view of the Tserovani settlement, which houses IDPs from the 2008 Russian-Georgian War. Photo: Educare Georgia.

internet access equals access to education and is one of the most basic human rights. Throughout Georgia, around 78,000 kids from socially vulnerable families are devoid of that right”, explained a summary for Give Access.

Organisers of the initiative have selected 10th-12th grade students in Tserovani, with nearly 120 beneficiaries already receiving full internet access through donations from almost 200 donors.

Donors are able to select various ways to contribute to granting online educational opportunities to the youth in the settlement.

They range from financial aid to cover monthly internet access fees, to donations like personal computer or tablet hardware, to partnering the organising team for admin costs or other assistance.

Children in the Tserovani settlement. Photo: Educare Georgia.

Automatic charges as well as one-time donations are enabled by the organisers for those who elect to help reach the 3,650 GEL (about 1,495 USD/1,220 EUR*) per month goal required to guarantee uninterrupted web access to Tserovani teenagers.

The website for the campaign also features comments from actual and prospective beneficiaries of the charity, about their wishes to be able to navigate the web and find information on their hobbies and educational needs.

Give Access is one of projects by non-profit educational fund Educare Georgia. The organisation’s other initiatives include work for making Khan Academy, a free online education platform, available in Georgian, as well as core.org, an online platform for learning the basics of computer programming.

* Currency rates according to today's National Bank of Georgia exchange rate.