Wi-Fi for refugee rights activists
In time for Christmas, Jangala provided Belfast-based human rights charity Participation & Practice Of Rights (PPR) with Get Boxes to connect 14 of their refugee rights activists.
PPR supports marginalised people to assert their rights in practical ways and make real social and economic change in their communities. Before the pandemic, PPR’s activities included group meetings, clinics, drop-ins, conferences, strategy workshops, home visits, lobbying, and more.
When lockdown began, PPR’s short-term response was to repurpose their budget to provide data top-ups to activists. But Dessie Donnelly, PPR’s Director, said: ‘this was no long term solution and did not address the issue of technical hardware. Mobile phones are no substitute for personal computers when collaborating with others to analyse data and documents or prepare campaign materials.’
Working with the Respond and Adapt Programme, PPR distributed 14 refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad laptops with the free and open source Linux Mint software, in-line with their commitment to reducing electronic waste and ensuring their activists had access to excellent digital security.
Jangala sent PPR 14 Get Boxes to address the connectivity needs of the refugees who are campaigning for their Right to Work.
“From the outset [of the pandemic], access to technical hardware and internet connectivity was identified as one of the greatest barriers to people accessing public services and maintaining contact with friends and family. The persisting view of internet access as a privilege as opposed to a right means that prohibitive computer, broadband, WiFi and data costs are deepening marginalisation and inequality during the pandemic.”
Organisation: Participation & Practice Of Rights
Location: Belfast, Northern Ireland
Deployment date: December 2020