“Mitchashvim” Invites You to Join the National Effort to Minimize the “Digital Gap”

You are welcome to participate in the national initiative to minimize the digital gap in Israel, by donating used personal computers, money, or employees’ time, or by operating PC upgrade labs. Let’s solve this problem once and for all!

The Covid-19 pandemic created some of the greatest national challenges in the last century, including the necessity to use remote digital connection for almost every aspect of life. As of today, 200,000 families in Israel have children in the education system and no PC at home. In the new reality, and especially now with the expanding pandemic, a home PC is no longer a luxury but rather a necessity. It enables more than a normal routine and remote learning, but also prevents expansion of the gaps between rich and poor in Israeli society.

Since the outbreak, there have been several initiatives to minimize this gap, such as purchasing new or used computers or collecting donations. However, there has been no central organization of these efforts that would maximize their potential.

The goal: Collection, Setup, and Distribution of 100,000 Personal Computers for the Children of Israel’s Socio-Economic and Geographic Periphery

We’ve challenged ourselves to create a holistic solution that would combine all efforts to one effective, efficient, environmental project – “Mitchashvim” (Considerable in Hebrew) – for minimizing the digital gap in Israel. The project is a national initiative, endorsed by President Reuven Rivlin, led by the business sectors, with extraordinary collaboration with the 3^rd sector, government, and local municipalities. It addresses the needs of the community while conserving the planet.

As part of the project, PCs and peripheral equipment are collected by volunteers from organizations as well as personal contributors. The equipment is brought to dedicated centers, where our labs setup, upgrade and complement the donated equipment so that the students receive qualified computer systems, running Microsoft Office and connected to the Internet. The labs also provide technical support and service, free of charge.

The average cost of setting up and upgrading each system is 400 NIS, 80% lower than the cost of comparable new equipment. At this cost, the child receives a fully functional package including the hardware, software, 7-language call center for support and digital literacy tutorials. In “Mitchashvim”, this cost is covered by the local municipalities or by supporting associations and not by the families.

The distribution is guided by a national perspective and in cooperation with the ministry of education and the ministry of welfare, focusing on municipalities rated 1-5 on the socio-economic. The refurbished computers will be provided to students through the schools and municipalities, along with pedagogic follow-up to ensure that the computers are indeed used for learning.

We seek your help as partners in this national initiative, in any way you see fit, considering your organization’s unique capabilities and resources:

• Computers contribution – We’ll be happy to establish an ongoing relationship where the company donates the old computers whenever it upgrades to new ones. We’ll also be happy to receive computers without hard disks and/or memory cards.
• Monetary contribution – assist especially in municipalities where the gap is particularly wide, and may be used to provide Internet connections for families in need or for launching the initiative to the general public.
• Volunteers for collection of used equipment from the general public (up to 2 hours per week)
• Volunteers for our development team (up to 3 hours per week of remote work)
• Operating additional labs for setup and service (a minimum of 20 systems per week, according to the lab’s capabilities)
• Assistance in distribution of large equipment batches from the centers to the municipalities.
• Storage space

If you already participate in a similar program or if you already contribute computers to partners in the community, we’ll be happy to join forces and assist in the setup, upgrades, or digital literacy. By that, we aim to create a holistic solution that will truly make an impact for the benefit of those in need.

To join the initiative and contribute in any way, please contact us on our Website:

https://www.mitchashvim.org.il/.