Now, more than ever, we are seeing the importance of being digitally connected. COVID-19 has highlighted that too many people living in New Zealand are lagging behind in the digital world and that New Zealand is at risk of widening the digital divide even further between the haves and the have nots.
In the COVID-19 environment this means that for many people in New Zealand, they CANNOT:
- Order their food online
- Attend online Church
- Order prescriptions
- Connect with friends and family, seeing them and showing them what’s happening in their bubble
- Meet their doctor for an online diagnosis
- Access reliable healthcare advice
- Participate in children or grandchildren’s online school learning
They simply CANNOT do what most of us do and take for granted everyday.
Those who are most in need of support and access to essential services, are being left behind because they are on the wrong side of the digital divide.
20/20 Trust is on a mission to ensure that every person in New Zealand is able to fully participate in the digital world.
Our work is targeted towards assisting groups who have been identified as being most at risk from digital exclusion.
We are very appreciative of the donation that Nokia Corporation has made towards assisting us to work with Pacific Seniors, those who are over 65. This donation will be used to purchase digital devices for Pacific Seniors so that we can connect them with essential services and online resources to reduce their isolation and introduce them to the digital world. This group will become mentors for other Pacific senior communities.
We are very grateful for this donation from Nokia, it moves us one step towards closing the digital divide in New Zealand.