The “Digital Education Centres in the Republic of Moldova” project, powered by HP Inc and implemented by YMCA, aims to promote digital equity among young people, refugees, and marginalized communities in Moldova.
By leveraging the educational programs and institutions of YMCA, as well as youth clubs and refugee establishments, the centres are fulfilling a critical need in Moldova. Over 300,000 people, including young individuals, will benefit from this initiative.
The success of the implementation and outreach is due to the incredible team of young leaders, connecting with heads and principals of educational institutions, and centres in the capital city, and remote areas, including villages and communes.
The team provided support with equipping and setting up digital hubs in over 300 institutions in Moldova with more than 5,000 HP brand new devices.
Part of the success is represented by the active partnership and collaboration of the team with the local authorities, municipalities, county local governments and the National Employment Agency, the YMCA integrated laptops into educational institutions, youth and employment centres, as well as the refugee centres that are serving the Ukrainian community.
A great success story has been represented by the team of YMCA Moldova, joined by the General Mayor of Chisinau – Mr Ion Ceban, Vice Mayor Angela Cutasevici, and the Head of the General Directorate of Education, Youth, and Sports in the municipality, Andrei Pavaloi in organising an initiation ceremony – celebrating the donation of new laptops for more than 130 educational institutions of the capital, and the stepping stone to many future programs being developed together.
On our recent visit to YMCA Moldova, we had the opportunity to attend an official meeting with the General Mayor of Chisinau, Mr Ion Ceban, and Vice Mayor Angela Cutasevici, along with the President of YMCA Moldova, Dumitru Roibu. We have been inspired by the commitment and support, and a genuine sense of community that the team in Moldova has been cultivating since the inception of the “Digital Education Centres” program.
We had the chance to experience first-hand the implementation of the centres at local and remote educational institutions, enabling young students to sharpen their digital education competencies and accelerate digital equity. We had the chance to see the main deposits where the devices were storied and delivered, the systems put in place by the team, and the remarkable work that has been sustained over the past months by a young and committed team of “change-makers”.
Our visit concluded with our attendance at YMCA Moldova’s General Assembly, where President Dumitru Roibu, summarised and updated us on the status of the ongoing projects supporting the development of digital equity in the country, stable partnership building and moment strengthening with a view to an ever-developing future for the organisation. It has been a unique opportunity to connect with the team and learn about the grassroots reality of the implementation team and the network of schools and institutions they are supporting through the digital education hubs in the country.
Our visit as well as close collaboration with the team of YMCA Moldova reinforces our belief that through our support from HP Inc, there is a real impact that we as an organisation have been developing and sustaining courtesy to a great team of dedicated people with the sole desire to support and accelerate digital education and development in the communities of Moldova.
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