Like many others, we have been shocked by events in Ukraine over the last few weeks, so when we had an opportunity to support refugees arriving in the UK from Ukraine, we were thrilled to be able to support them in our own small way. Working with Volunteering Edinburgh and Father Vasaly of the local Ukrainian Church we have helped to deliver 10 donated laptops and 21 smartphones to families as they arrived in Scotland. These devices have been made available at the Welcome Hub near Edinburgh airport where support is offered to help those displaced by the conflict in Ukraine. 

Many of these donated devices are now being used by primary school children, enabling them to continue their education in spite of such great upheaval. Some have also been donated to young people to source work and training opportunities and to enable families to maintain contact with friends and family who may still be in Ukraine or elsewhere. 

The Turing Trust has also been honoured to support refugees with donated IT equipment across other areas of the UK. One of which is a family who has now relocated to Bath. Their two children were delighted to receive their donated laptops which they now use to complete homework and studies.

Anastasia also uses her donated laptop to connect to classes in her school in Ukraine via Zoom. She is in her last year at her Ukrainian school and will be taking her final exams soon. Her brother Dymtrus also mentioned how helpful the laptop has been in improving his English language skills by being able to watch educational videos with subtitles.

We couldn’t have done this without the support of all our incredible donors, so we are hugely grateful to everyone who has donated their devices that are now making a new beginning so much brighter. If you would like to get involved, head to our donate computers page to find out more.