Ukrainian refugees in Poland receive laptops from Essex man to access remote work and school
The Laptops 4 Livelihoods campaign was launched earlier this year
Last updated 6th Oct 2022
An Essex man who launched a campaign to donate second hand laptops to Ukrainian refugees in Poland has been telling us about his trip to the country to see the project in action.
Last month we told you about Chelmsford-based business coach Peter Boolkah and his Laptops 4 Livelihoods campaign, which gives displaced people laptops so they can access remote education and work.
He's just returned from Krakow, where he handed out the laptops in person: "It was a great success because we got to see how people are using the laptops...
"They've been using them to find jobs. People have been using them to start their own businesses, to stay in contact with other refugee centres and with loved ones and family back in Ukraine.
"Lots of kids are also using them to access remote education."
Peter remembered speaking to one lady in particular, the cook at the hostel hosting the refugees: "The cook is at this camp we visited in Poland but her husband and son are in Germany.
"Until we got her a laptop, the only way that she could speak to them was once a week, for ten minutes, when she scheduled in a slot to use an administrator's computer... she was in floods of tears when she got the laptop.
"It's things like that which we take for granted - being able to speak to people when we want to. They've had all that taken away from them."
Peter and his colleague Lucy, who also visited Poland on the trip, also remembered Aryna Rymar, who fled Ukraine with her 6-year-old daughter Viktoria, and now uses her laptop to grow her cake business.
The Laptops 4 Livelihoods campaign has, so far, handed out over 80 laptops to those in need, but Peter has big plans: "We're coming close to having 200 in Poland by the end of the year, and I'm actually hoping it will be significantly more...
"Ultimately when you think that there are about 3.2 million displaced people I think 10,000 laptops would be a small number I'd like to get out there.
"Is that highly doable? Absolutely - I'm just not quite sure how yet!"
One of the ways he's hoping to reach his target is by convincing companies to donate their old laptops: "Businesses: please don't trash your technology!
"Companies cycle their technology every three years, yet MacBooks have a lifespan of five to six years.
"They don't need to be destroyed, they just need to be given to people that will make great use of them."