A group of young Kiwi men associated with the Society of St Vincent de Paul are helping bring underprivileged kids into the digital age.
A project has been started by several men, some of whom are former Young Vinnies, to help give south Auckland children access to computers who otherwise wouldn’t have this.
The men are attached to the St Therese Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul at Mangere.
Described as working in the IT industry, or being conversant with its mysteries, they clean and overhaul computers that have been donated.
Four schools were approached initially and the team has so far installed or are in the process of installing more than 70 computers in homes and community houses.
The project builds on a scheme started by the SVDP Hornby conference in Christchurch.
An article on the SVDP website explained that the scheme has been enthusiastically taken up in south Auckland.
There have been unexpected benefits, including teachers being able to give extra work to students who needed to catch up on fellow students or understand lessons.
Consideration is being given to extending the scheme to others who might care for students, including caregivers, grandparents, church and community groups.
Other deserving candidates who might benefit from having a computer at home are also being considered.
The New Zealand Deprivation Index released earlier this year showed south Auckland to be among the most deprived areas in the country.
Produced by Otago University researchers, the index included “internet access” among its calculations for the first time, reflecting modern technology’s growing influence on everyday life.
The index is based on 2013 census data.
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