The Covid-19 pandemic led to learning losses for millions of children worldwide due to sudden school closures and shifts to online learning. While students everywhere have struggled with remote learning, the damage has been greatest for those with no access to devices on which to learn virtually. The last two years have brought into sharp relief the drastic digital divide between the well off and those of modest means.
As per research by the UNICEF, millions of children affected by this digital divide may never return to school and we may see a sharp increase in child labor, gender-based violence, early marriage and teenage pregnancies There have been multitudes of reports of helpless and frustrated students committing suicide due to an inability to access online classes and learning materials.
The e-bhavishya project is driven by a fierce desire to help bridge this digital divide in access to education by providing appropriate learning devices to students most in need. At present the project is being piloted in the National Capital Region (NCR) and will later be extended to other parts of the country. e-bhavishya has secured funding from the Youth Innovation Fund of the World Bank Group because of its potential for positive impact in enhancing education outcomes of poorer households. The grant was won by our founder Ms. Ananya Shukla, an employee of the World Bank Group, through a rigorous selection process.
India’s large and increasingly prosperous middle class changes electronic devices frequently, thus creating a supply of functioning devices, with no avenue for sustainable recycling or donations. e-bhavishya harnesses this supply to meet the demand for devices of students from poorer households.
The e-bhavishya app has been designed to facilitate donations of used devices by individuals or organizations and to allow students to purchase a used device at a very nominal price as per their requirement.
The price of the used device simply covers the repair and transport costs of the used devices. In case a device stops functioning or malfunctions within one year of purchase, e-bhavishya is committed to getting it repaired or replacing it at no extra cost.
Young Professional, International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), Washington DC, USA
BA, Brown University, USA MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
Behavioral Science and Public Policy Researcher
BA, St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi
MSc, University of Warwick, United Kingdom (UK)
Children’s Book Illustrator
BE, BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Please donate through the e-bhavishya mobile application available for download on the google play store or by completing this donation form. Our app will soon be available on the Apple Store as well. In the meanwhile, iOS users can use the donation form linked below to donate up to 3 devices at one time. The form does accept multiple submissions.
Please contact us at team@ebhavishya.org or on +918750511020 if you are interested in partnering with us through a corporate social responsibility initiative and facilitating bulk donations of old devices.
An Expressway to a Better Education and a Bright Future for All
