Laptops for Refugee Families

by Herts Welcomes Refugees in St. Albans, England, United Kingdom

Laptops for Refugee Families
We did it
On 7th January 2020 we successfully raised £8,807 with 154 supporters in 35 days

We aim to provide a laptop for every family we support with children in Year 6+ to help bridge the gap created by a disrupted education.

by Herts Welcomes Refugees in St. Albans, England, United Kingdom

 New stretch target

Ideally we want every family we support to have at least one laptop. More families will arrive under the government schemes and families that do not meet our criteria now will do so as they children move into year 6

As many job applications have to be made online, we would also like to provide laptops to job seekers in families that have not received laptops and, as older students move on to higher education they will need a laptop to take with them. 


Herts Welcomes Refugees' volunteers work across the whole of Hertfordshire to support families who have come to our county under the government's Vulnerable Persons Resettlement schemes - 54 families at present.  

We have launched this crowdfunding appeal so that we can provide a laptop to every family we support that has a child in Year 6 and above.

Take a look below at the impact receiving a laptop has made..

£5,000 will allow us to provide 12 laptops and supporting software. We have more than 12 families wanting laptops so please help us to meet and exceed that target! 

Can you help these children bridge the gap to a successful future by making a donation today to this appeal and spreading the word?  

It's really simple - just hit the "support" or"donate" button to your right!  Then tell all your friends, family and colleagues about the appeal!

Why is this so important?

Access to a computer is fundamental not only to children being able to engage fully in their studies and to achieve their full potential but also to parents participating in their children's school life.

On average a child arriving in the UK takes around five years to catch up with their peers in terms of language skills, cultural understanding and the basic knowledge that children born in the UK have absorbed from birth.  Refugee children have had their education disrupted and need additional help to bridge that gap.  Their parents cannot buy laptops for them because, even if they have sufficient English to find work, their current levels of English mean that they are in low paid employment.

Giving a refugee family a laptop will bring wider benefits.  Adult learners will also be able to access online learning to improve their English, prepare CV's and apply for jobs online.  They will also be able to practice for the driving theory test - being able to drive unlocks further employment opportunities and fosters independence. Adults and children can use the laptops to learn more about the culture and history of the country where they are now living, helping them to become more settled and involved within their communities.

They just want to move on with their lives...

These families are anxious to rebuild their lives, disrupted by war and the need to flee from their homes. Their children are determined to get the most out of their educational opportunities, to go on to Further or Higher Education and become well qualified so they can help their families and make a contribution.  A laptop is a powerful tool for helping achieve this.  Take a look at the image below from our last AGM to see what one of the young refugees said 

We hope you will want to help us with this appeal by making a donation. Otherwise we do not have funds to provide laptops which children like Ammar, in the first video, really want and need.

Thanks for reading this and taking an interest, but what we really want you to do is give us your money!  Without it we can't buy these laptops.  So please take the next step and press that support or donate button!  And then tell all your family, friends and colleagues about this appeal!

Providing laptops is just one aspect of what Herts Welcomes Refugees does:-

We welcome new arrivals with a meal, supplies of food and a new television.

Our volunteers visit regularly, introducing the refugees to their local communities, sourcing donated goods such as bicycles, sewing machines and other household items and helping with transport to appointments. 

Our volunteers provide language support to complement school and college learning.


We arrange one to one tuition for children who need extra help with their school studies.

We organize parties and outings to familiarize  families with British cultures and provide opportunities for them to meet others in their communities.

You can find out more about Herts Welcomes Refugees on our website or on our facebook page.

This year we were able to fund laptops for a few older students. Watch the video to see how well they were received.

Got an idea like this?

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