Being connected and getting online can play a very important role in today’s world.
Accessing benefits and health information. Applying for jobs and paying bills, or simply staying in touch with friends and family has all been made easier by the use of computers and the world wide web.
But for some it’s not that easy. Fear can get in the way of learning how to use a computer, money worries can get in the way of getting online or simply not knowing where to look for help to begin with stops them ever trying.
In Birmingham there have been several schemes set up to help people overcome these barriers. Digital Birmingham had this to say about 2 of their projects.
Two Birmingham women lives have been transformed through access to the internet. Warda Mohammed from Aston and Heather Hawswood from Erdington were both given internet access through Digital Birmingham projects.
Single mum Warda gained access to the internet via Aston Pride’s ‘Computers in the Home’ project and since then has set up her own business as an interpreter, working online and via the telephone from home – work that fits in with her family commitments and has enabled her not only to support her family but train and provide employment to other women in similar circumstances.
22 year old Heather lives in Windsor House, an Erdington tower block that was kitted out with broadband as part of an aerial upgrade and provided with free refurbished ex-council computers. Heather, who had been caring for her teenage sister since the age of 19, had become increasingly housebound and isolated. She used the internet to contact friends through Facebook, search for tips on how to deal with teenagers and found a temporary job through an online advertisement.
These ideas and other actions aimed and getting people digitally included can be found here. Click through, have a read, and have your say. Alternatively if you run a scheme that is already helping people in a smart way let us know by filling in this quick form.
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