Working towards improving access to digital technology for the less privileged people in the country, a group of people has been collecting unwanted electronics, repairing damaged ones and then distributing them to those in need. The initiative, Digital Tshe-thar, started around a month ago as a social media group.
The group has currently 13 members and has been collecting electronic gadgets such as desktop computers, laptops and smartphones. In the last one month, the group has been able to get 15 gadgets which they plan to distribute to students from underprivileged families in Thimphu.
“We are going to focus on communities where the digital divide is so wide that we need immediate intervention. We will be doing a sort of need-based assessment and focusing on a small community and then go to other communities. We are going to do pilot phasing because we don’t want to do more harm than good,” said Sonam Norbu, a member of the Digital Tshe-thar.
Members say they started the group after realising the importance of digital advancement, especially during the pandemic.
“Early in February a couple of friends met around and discussed an article from the world economic forum about people doing digital donations. So we were inspired by that article and we thought, it took off a very informal note and we gathered together and discussed how we can do it in Bhutan too,” he added.
Digital Tshe-thar also aspires to help reduce e-waste in the country. According to the waste segregation facility in Thimphu, every year they collect around a truckload of reusable electronic wastes from Thimphu alone.
Kinzang Lhadon
