We have never been more aware of the relevance of the Internet than we are now at this extraordinary time. Coronavirus is not a leveller, it does discriminate. The digital divide has meant that some children can keep learning from home while others cannot, some families can stay in touch and others are truly isolated. Economic inequality has meant that some of us have more than enough food and others will starve. Some children are safe at home, others are not. Coronavirus is not levelling the playing field, it is exacerbating pre-existing inequality.
In response to the increased suffering that coronavirus is causing the most vulnerable among us, my colleagues and I have some exciting updates to share with you.
Despite working from home in London, Kampala, Kathmandu and New York, the Hello World team has achieved so much in this past month:
- We have launched Hub Heroes to provide at-home education for children in lockdown in Uganda.
- Through our emergency hunger appeal we are feeding hungry people who cannot access food during lockdown in Nakivale Refugee Settlement.
- Our data collection is underway, gathering feedback on our work from Hub communities.
- And the inimitable Stephen Fry will be making a Radio 4 Charity Appeal on Hello World’s behalf.
HUB HEROES
Many of us in the West are now homeschooling using the Internet. Yet 50% of the global population still has no reliable access to an internet connection. Effective, scalable and respectful solutions are urgently needed.
In order that children in Uganda can continue to learn, our new Hub Heroes project puts into homes the award-winning OneTabs (learning tablets designed by the non-profit organisation OneBillion) to teach literacy and numeracy.
EMERGENCY HUNGER APPEAL
Food allocation in Nakivale Refugee settlement in Uganda has been reduced to just 6kg of rice, per person, per month because coronavirus has put a strain on supply chains.
Because families are going hungry, Hello World is delivering emergency food relief to people's homes, maintaining social distancing. So far, our appeal has raised enough for more than 15,000 meals. Thank you for donating to our Emergency Hunger Appeal.
BBC RADIO 4 APPEAL
Our BBC Radio 4 Charity Appeal will help Hello World raise vital funds to support our work around the world. We are so proud that much-loved author, actor, broadcaster and champion of human rights, Stephen Fry, will make the appeal on our behalf on Sunday 3rd May at 7:54am and 9:25pm, repeated on Thursday 7th May at 3:27pm.
As always, thank you for your support. It means so much to us at Hello World and our friends at the Hubs around the world.
If you would like to read the original dispatch, you can find it here.
