To the delight of one secondary school’s pupils – especially some excitable triplets – the Mail Force van has made its latest delivery of laptops.
Mail Force has now raised a whopping £10.6millon for the Computers for Kids campaign in just three weeks, to help lockdown pupils struggling to follow online classes.
The charity has had a sensational boost with a video appeal fronted by David Beckham and 29 other famous British faces going viral – reaching some 123million social media users.
In Southampton, 12-year-old triplets Sandra, Daniel and Manuel Naduvila were beaming ear to ear as they received their hi-tech goodies earlier this week.
For 12-year-old triplets Sandra, Daniel and Manuel Naduvila, there is a strict pecking order
Their mother Jubi, a hospital healthcare assistant who works night shifts, said: ‘It’s crazy at the moment. There’s no school, they can’t really go out, we have got just one computer, the triplets were just getting used to secondary school and now they are trying to learn on their phones.’
She added: ‘They need more than that, because they can’t submit their work on phones. On a computer, you can save and organise work properly.’
Her husband Abey, who is a kitchen worker at Hampshire County Council, added: ‘Thank you for this laptop donation. It will really help us.’
Mail Force has donated seven top-of-the-range Microsoft Surface 2 Go tablets for families of Saint George Catholic College in Southampton, Hampshire, on top of 75 laptops handed to the comprehensive school by the Department for Education.
Head teacher James Habberley said: ‘We are incredibly grateful for the donation from the Daily Mail. We’ve had a number of students who have been struggling with remote learning, because they’ve only had one device between a large family… We have already allocated all our donations from the DfE, so this has come at a really important moment for us, and we’re very grateful to readers who have donated these laptops. Thank you very much.’
The Mail Force campaign aims to help fix the ‘digital divide’ blighting hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren unable to follow their online lessons.
Some of Britain’s biggest stars including David Beckham, David Walliams, Stephen Fry, Dame Emma Thompson, Naomi Campbell, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Ian McKellen have all backed Mail Force, along with all six living Prime Ministers and all the main teaching unions.
Who’ll use it first? Our sister – she’s the eldest
There’s a triple thank you for the latest Mail Force laptop delivery – yet no question as to who will use the device first.
For 12-year-old triplets Sandra, Daniel and Manuel Naduvila, there is a strict pecking order. Asked who would use their new Mail Force computer first, both boys instantly pointed to their sister – who confirmed: ‘Yes, me.’ Manuel said: ‘It is because she’s the eldest – by two minutes,’ while Sandra thanked the campaign for helping with their studies.
For their mother Jubi, a healthcare worker, the Mail Force delivery is certainly a godsend. But she admits, it is going to be challenging to get the ‘competitive’ siblings to share nicely. The Year 7 triplets only had one term at Saint George Catholic College in Southampton, Hampshire, before lockdown struck.
The family of six also includes 15-year-old Sania who is in Year 10 and studying for her GCSEs – and has had the most time on the family’s sole laptop.
Olivia said working on a phone has been difficult, and added: ‘Thank you… It’s lovely that people have actually donated money for me to have this.’
Amazed by generosity
Olivia, 11, has been doing her Year 7 work on a mobile phone.
So the Drake family, who also have daughter Georgia, seven, were delighted with their Mail Force delivery. Olivia’s mother Claire, a social worker, said: ‘That’s amazing that people are giving money… to children that they don’t even know.’
Olivia said working on a phone has been difficult, and added: ‘Thank you… It’s lovely that people have actually donated money for me to have this.’
With his brother Hugo, ten, working on the family laptop while Daniel, five, uses their father’s phone, remote learning has been difficult for the Carvalho family
Class will be easier now
Using only a mobile phone for his schoolwork, 12-year-old Diogo has been struggling.
With his brother Hugo, ten, working on the family laptop while Daniel, five, uses their father’s phone, remote learning has been difficult for the Carvalho family.
That is, until Mail Force gave Diogo a Microsoft Surface 2 Go device. He thanked the campaign, saying: ‘It is very hard to write on a phone… I think with a laptop it will be way easier to get on with my work.’
HOW TO DONATE TO COMPUTERS FOR KIDS
CLICK HERE
TO DONATE
TO YOU, THE READER: How to send us donations
The Daily Mail has launched a brand new campaign, Computers For Kids, to raise money for Mail Force – a charity which aims to provide much needed school equipment and resources for pupils across the UK learning from home.
With schools closed, we are left with the dilemma of hundreds of thousands of pupils in the UK having no access to a computer in their home.
As part of this campaign, companies are donating their old laptops which, for around £15, can be wiped, professionally refurbished and made safe and fit for home schooling. They can then be delivered to a child or young person who needs one.
In addition, the campaign is looking to support children’s needs in other ways such as funding brand new laptops and tablets, and assisting with data access and connectivity for online learning. Any surplus funds will be used to support of the work of UK schools via other means.
TO MAKE A DONATION ONLINE
Visit mailforcecharity.co.uk/donate and follow the steps to complete your donation.
Please don’t send us your old device.
TO COMPANIES: Could you give your old laptops?
Upgrading office computers is something all companies do from time to time – and there has never been a better time to donate old laptops. If you are a company with 50 laptops or more that you could give, please visit www.computacenter.com/daily-mail to check they are suitable and register your donation. We will arrange for collection by our specialist partners Computacenter. Please note: we cannot accept donated laptops from individuals.
COMPANIES SHOULD GO TO: computacenter.com/daily-mail
TO SCHOOLS: Where to apply for the computers
Schools must apply to the Department for Education, which is managing the demand and prioritising the schools most in need. The Mail Force initiative means more laptops will become available more quickly.
SCHOOLS CAN APPLY HERE: https://get-help-with-tech.education.gov.uk