Every family from the first two intakes of Syrian refugees was given a refurbished computer by the Otago Polytechnic’s College of Enterprise and Development.
Red Cross volunteer co-ordinator Stephanie Smith said the computers met the ‘‘top priority’’ of many of the Syrian families.
‘‘They were thrilled.
‘‘Particularly the ability to communicate. For a lot of them the top priority when they get here is being able to get on the internet and talk to family members left behind.’’
The computers would also enable families to develop stronger community ties and educate their children, she said.
Ms Smith said when she was contacted by the polytechnic she did not imagine so many computers would be donated.
‘‘It was really quite something getting that phone call ...
‘‘But I didn’t have any idea it would be that many.
‘‘I wasn’t involved in the handover, unfortunately. [Other] people got to play Santa.’’
Otago Polytechnic College of Enterprise and Development IT Certs programme co-ordinator Hamish Smith said a team of four staff and a student from the department, as well as a King’s High School pupil on work experience, spent ‘‘a fair few hours’’ refurbishing the computers.
‘‘It’s fantastic, from my perspective, personally. When we were thinking about projects we could do as a team, I saw the opportunity to get the computers out there to people who need them.’’
The department would liaise with Red Cross volunteers to ensure the computers were working properly, while ‘‘technology savvy’’ volunteers would provide training for the families who were given the computers, he said.
Recycling the five-year-old computers was also in line with the polytechnic’s focus on sustainability, Mr Smith said.
The department had also given refurbished computers to students who could not afford to buy their own and monitors to recent polytechnic conferences, he said.
