What is the name of your organization?
Giveinternet.org
What is the name of your solution?
Give Internet: Bridge the Gap
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
We find dedicated students in refugee camps, equip them with internet, laptops, skills training and help them find jobs and uplift their communities.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
New Jersey, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Nearly 1.6 billion youth (aged 15–24) remain offline, 52% of whom are girls. While only 17% of the world lacks internet coverage, the barrier for the remaining 1.3 billion students is affordability—they cannot afford laptops or the high cost of internet access at home.
Without the internet, students can't access quality education or essential resources to build skills and find job opportunities. This issue is especially critical for students in refugee camps and underserved communities. The economic and digital divide is widening daily, and with the advancement of AI, this gap is growing even more.
We partner with two types of educational organizations: one, like MIT Emerging Talent, that offers online educational programs for underserved students; and the other, like the University of Geneva, that provides in-person training in refugee camps.
Thousands of students are applying to and being accepted into these programs. But a lack of personal laptops and internet access at home limits their ability to participate online or apply their skills after graduating and leaving the training facility. Educational organizations lack the funding to provide these essential tools. We bridge this gap, making these educational programs sustainable and helping students continue learning and finding jobs.
What is your solution?
We work to end the exclusion of refugees and underserved students from education and the global economy by providing essential tools and education.
Educational Partners: We work with 20+ leading educational organizations that offer 6–24 month online or in-person programs, training students to become data scientists, engineers, designers, videographers, healthcare workers, teachers, and entrepreneurs.
Student Selection: With our partners, we identify the most dedicated underserved students who are accepted into or graduating from skills development programs.
Provide Connectivity: We equip students with home internet access and laptops, and support partner training centers with devices and connectivity.
Sustainable Tech: We work with providers who refurbish high-quality second-hand laptops, reducing e-waste. This allows us to provide students with high-spec devices needed for technical subjects at an affordable cost.
Lifelong Mentorship: Students join our online community where they receive mentorship and support in overcoming learning and employment challenges. We share educational and job opportunities and host webinars on media literacy, career growth, and remote work skills.
Helping Students Build Income: We’re piloting initiatives to help students earn income by connecting them with companies. Currently, 51% of our students are earning through full-time, part-time, or freelance work, while 10% are gaining experience through internships.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Main countries we work in (we’ve helped students 20+ countries):
- Kenya: Young refugees in Kakuma camp, youth from Kibera’s informal settlement, underserved youth in Kisumu: graduates of coding, design, healthcare programs.
- Uganda: Youth from Kampala’s informal settlements, mastering entrepreneurship and digital skills.
- Nigeria: Girls pursuing software/cloud engineering, data science.
- Georgia: Underserved high school students in remote villages and internally displaced communities.
- India: Girls studying coding, 1st generation university students.
Students are selected from our partner’s skills development programs: MIT Emerging Talent, University of Geneva, Era92 Elevate, SheCodeAfrica, and others. They teach coding, design, entrepreneurship and various skills enabling students to earn a living and lead dignified lives.
But, our research shows that most graduates lack access to computers/internet outside training facilities—often located far from their homes— making it impossible to use their skills effectively and consistently. We address 2 challenges:
- Lack of connectivity prevents students from enrolling in online programs.
- After training, they can’t continue learning, applying their skills due to no internet/devices at home. GiveInternet closes these gaps by providing internet access and personal laptops, enabling them to work, learn, launch projects, earn a living.
