Anthea Ranjit-Singh, Digital Inclusion Coordinator

The Digital Inclusion Project ended on 31 October, and it is my time to leave KMEWO. I have had the most exciting 1.5 years managing this amazing digital project and I want to celebrate KMEWO’s legacy with you all before I leave.

I have known KMEWO since 2015 working with them via an external post. But it has been a wonderful experience working alongside the team and management at KMEWO and with our sister and partner services. Most importantly, this project has been a huge success with the recipients, black and minoritised women and girls, survivors of domestic abuse living in refuge or temporary accommodation.

These women are in poverty or destitute, so it was an absolute must that KMEWO free-loaned them
with digital devices and the means to connect with essential online services; to enable their independence and support their goal from survivors to thrivers. Through our partner service, the Good Things Foundation, KMEWO issued free 20GB monthly data for the duration. KMEWO free-loaned its stock of 102 refurbished IT Tablets and accessories between three refuges, plus
to our own clients.

Covid-19 KMEWO highlighted the digital exclusion of black and minoritised women and this continued to prevail throughout the project and is further affected by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

Quarterly case studies and feedback humanise the project allowing us real time insight into the use of
the tablets and ultimately the success of the project. KMEWO loaned out a total of 95 IT Tablets to three refuges managed by Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA), London Black Women’s Project (LBWP), Ashiana Network and to KMEWO’s clients.

All beneficiaries were in refuge or temporary accommodation. Across the project, including new re-loaned tablets, 100 individuals became first time users of a device. All refuges taking part in this project are committed to continuing on their own, loaning out the IT Tablets to new clients in refuge or temporary accommodation and re-loaning once they leave.

KMEWO has completed comprehensive handovers to the refuges and gifted the tablets stock to these
organisations for the benefit of clients, due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

KMEWO stays committed to supporting those in the digital divide and we continue to support our clients accordingly. Sharing the case clients’ case studies below humanises the project and highlights the need for digital inclusion.

We hope you enjoy reading them too.
KMEWO case study X attended an online safety workshop which she found useful and was interactive with the group. X was issued an IT Tablet and accessories.

The device has enabled her to learn new things and she enjoy watching TV with her children. She uses it for ESOL, completing welfare benefit claims and other documents needed for supporting services in
addition to her children’s school requirements.
On a personal front X now has a device which holds her personal information and she can use
personalised apps and store her cherished digital memories

Unfortunately, X’s husband who is the perpetrator of domestic abuse found her mobile phone which
she can no longer use, and X is at further risk of harm. The IT Tablet is helpful as X no longer uses her mobile phone but uses the IT Tablet telephone number, texting for every day. This is an important and safeguarding help to a survivor of domestic abuse.

London Black Women’s Project (LBWP)
Case study 1
The tablet is not easily damaged, so she uses it to entertain herself and her children. The kids watch cartoons while she prepares dinner, and she watches various forms of entertainment to help her improve her English – mainly news and talk/interview programming. She says it’s made a big difference in her ability to keep her kids
entertained and she can watch things longer because the screen is bigger than her mobile phone. In addition to entertainment, she looks for courses and jobs. She wants to gain skills and get a head start of work so she will be prepared when she is able to leave the refuge. She will try to buy a tablet like this one when she starts working because it is strong, and she doesn’t have to worry about her children breaking it.

Case study 2
This user uses the tablet to research her legal rights as she is trying to sort out her immigration status. She finds it reassuring that she can begin to look things up online herself. It’s much easier on a big screen. She used to rely on her phone for everything.

She doesn’t use the data on the SIM since she mainly uses it in the refuge which has Wi-Fi, but she is happy that it’s available in case she needs it when she’s out.

Refuge comments:
It’s been slow going getting them out to the women because off the turnover and the impulse to hold back when we know a woman is leaving. But they are pretty much all distributed now (except for 3).
The women mainly use them on the Wi-Fi, and they are really benefiting from having a device of their own. They’ve all expressed a desire to get a tablet or laptop when they leave. Having a digital device other than a phone has increased their confidence with technology.

Latin American Women’s Aid (LAWA) case study
“X (young adult), arrived at our refuge and was given a tablet a couple weeks after she first arrived.
Although she had a phone which we determined was safe for use, we noticed she still made a lot of use of her tablet. She said she had a laptop at home which she used a lot and was sad to not have been
able to bring it with her to the refuge. She even asked us when she was ready to leave the refuge if she could keep it!

She used the tablet to do her ESOL homework and use English learning apps to enhance her learning.
Additionally, it was possible for her to have counselling online because of the tablet. This was great because without this resource she would have had to wait for weeks for in-person availability.
She was very grateful and took great care of the tablet.”

Ashiana Network (feedback)
Case 1
Thank you so much for the tablet. I really appreciate it! It has all the social media but except for the YouTube. If you could let access it to youtube please that would be great.
Thank you so much again for tablet!
Kind regards!

Note: Refuges were supported by PlayStore instructions on how to switch accounts.
This was shared again in this case.

Case 2
Hello,
I hope you are well. Thank you for tablet support. Tablet is perfect for college work It is working well.
Thank you for support

KMEWO funders in this project:

Tech Lending Company (TLC) funded by Virgin Media and O2 mobile services
Partnered with Reconome, IT Digital Support and the Good Things Foundation/National Databank