In our ongoing efforts to bridge the digital divide for Afghan newcomers, 50 newcomers awaiting resettlement in the United States via the southern border received free smartphones and 1 year of free phone service courtesy of T-Mobile and thanks to collaborative efforts from Welcome.US.
This smartphone distribution is part of wider efforts by The 5ive Pillars Organization to bridge the digital divide among Afghan newcomers through the Connecting Newcomers program that launched earlier this year.
The Connecting Newcomers initiative stemmed from The 5ive Pillars Organization’s direct casework with Afghan newcomer families that showed families lacked affordable access to digital tools to advance education and labor opportunities in what is a heavily digitally-connected Bay Area.
To date, at least 1,500 laptops have been distributed to Afghan newcomers across Northern California, including Oakland, San Jose, Hayward, Concord and Sacramento.
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