Emirates NBD, a MENA-based banking group, has donated over 5,000 electronic devices to underprivileged students worldwide.
The donation aims to contribute to bridging the digital divide, which remains wide globally.
According to the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU), roughly one-third of the global population (2.6 billion people) remained offline in 2023. Within this, a significant proportion of children and young people aged 25 years and below have been found to be without access at home. UNICEF data found that in 2020, this figure stood at two in three.
The bank shared that, once refurbished and recycled, the devices will be given to The Digital School, a collaborative programme between Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and Emirates Red Crescent.
Launched back in 2020, the Digital School aims to provide a certified online education to those without easy access to formal education.
The bank shared that the donation to The Digital School contributes to supporting 8,512 students while also reducing 10,868 kgs of carbon dioxide and saving 3,043.04 cubic feet of landfill space.
The donation was made through Ecyclex, a company that provides recycling solutions in the UAE, with a focus on recycling waste electronics and electronics equipment.