Salvaging old laptops for underprivileged children

Free Malaysia Today

Teens Adam Stephens and Jeremy Sharpe have embarked on a mission to bridge the digital divide, salvaging old laptops for underprivileged children in KL and Sabah.  Written and presented by: Dinesh Kumar Maganathan Shot by: Muhaimin Marwan Edited by: Khairul Taufiek  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2023/11/05/2-teens-salvage-old-laptops-for-underprivileged-kids/  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTLifestyle #UnderprivilegedChildren #OldLaptops

Transcript

00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:02 Adam Stevens and Jeremy Sharp may just be 17,

00:06 but they are already making an impact in three

00:08 underprivileged communities.

00:11 The duo started the Forward Future Project

00:13 last year, a social initiative that

00:16 repurposes discarded laptops.

00:18 And it all started with a very simple question.

00:22 And we've noticed that our teachers have

00:23 been getting new laptops.

00:24 And these laptops, we wondered, where do the old laptops go to?

00:28 And we were talking to our computer science teachers,

00:30 and they said they just leave them in a cupboard

00:33 somewhere to store and to dispose of them after two years.

00:36 We decided that we were going to take in the laptops that

00:39 aren't being used at school and redistribute them

00:41 to people who need them more.

00:42 With the help and support from family, friends,

00:45 and their school, the teenagers have

00:47 collected 125,000 ringgit worth of laptops so far.

00:51 16 laptops have since been donated

00:53 to the Zomi Learning Center and Chin Refugee Center in KL,

00:58 where a single teacher has been tasked

01:00 with teaching 40 Myanmar refugee students of varying ages.

01:04 Now the students have access to educational materials tailored

01:07 to their individual proficiency levels.

01:10 Stephens and Sharp have also been tutoring them

01:12 for the last six months.

01:14 And the results have been inspiring.

01:16 Just recently, I think last week,

01:18 I was teaching them how to code.

01:20 And this one kid who just nailed everything, completely got it,

01:24 and was just having so much fun.

01:27 I think it just resonated with me.

01:29 I mean, I enjoyed that session so much.

01:31 And how much-- he would have never had this opportunity

01:34 if we couldn't give him these laptops, couldn't teach them.

01:37 Eight more laptops will be donated next year

01:40 to Iskul Sama Di Laut Omadal, a community-run school

01:43 for Bajau Laut children in Pulau Omadal, Sabah.

01:47 There, only one laptop is shared among nearly 30 students

01:52 who have to rely on an internet network that uses only

01:55 mobile data and goes out for days during storms,

01:59 disrupting online classes.

02:01 Despite these challenges, Stephens and Sharp

02:03 say it's all worth it.

02:05 For other young people thinking of starting

02:07 their own social initiatives, they

02:09 have these words of advice.

02:11 Don't be afraid to do it.

02:12 Just if you have an idea, if you have a plan, just go with it.

02:16 There's nothing-- you will never regret it in the end.

02:18 It's a great experience.

02:19 And I know we don't regret it.

02:21 We enjoyed it thoroughly.

02:23 Dinesh Kumar Maganadan, FMT Lifestyle.

02:27 (upbeat music)

Transcript

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