Funding for national movement to plug digital gap hits $7.6m

A national movement that provides resources for grassroots projects to equip Singaporeans with digital skills and help bridge the digital divide now has $7.6 million in funding.

Standard Chartered Bank and Keppel Corp have donated $1.3 million to the Digital for Life movement, adding to the $2.5 million contribution from the President's Challenge fund-raising campaign earlier.

The Government has matched the $3.8 million in total donations dollar for dollar.

Announcing this yesterday at an event at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, Minister for Communications and Information S. Iswaran said the Government will call for proposals in the second quarter of this year to support community-led projects and activities that promote digital inclusion, literacy and wellness.

Noting that several years' worth of digitalisation took place in a few months last year across most of society amid the pandemic, Mr Iswaran said that "more than ever, digital inclusion is a matter of national priority".

"We want every member of our economy and society to be able and ready to reap the digital dividend, regardless of their starting point," he said.

The Digital for Life movement and the fund were launched last month by President Halimah Yacob, who is the movement's patron, with an initial funding of $2.5 million from the President's Challenge.

The fund, set up by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), has a target of growing to $10 million over the next three years.

Since the launch of Digital for Life, three organisations - TriGenerational HomeCare (TriGen), Engineering Good and Google - have been supporting it, and all three have pledged to do more.

Non-profit organisation Engineering Good will work with partners to teach students basic computer skills and equip young people with laptop repair and troubleshooting know-how, so that they can serve as information technology ambassadors for the community.

Google worked with the Media Literacy Council last year to encourage primary school pupils to use the Internet safely, through a free game. The tech giant is now in talks with the National University of Singapore for student volunteers to take the game to disadvantaged children and young people.

TriGen, a non-profit organisation that was started by healthcare professionals to serve vulnerable seniors in the community, has been working with various partners, such as the Singapore General Hospital (SGH), on Project Wire Up to help seniors who may be left behind digitally.

TriGen noted that with social distancing measures to limit the spread of Covid-19, many seniors were struggling with a growing sense of isolation and loneliness.

Project Wire Up, which was launched last June, was aimed at addressing this. Providing digital skills to the elderly allows them to connect better socially and access essential services such as consultations with healthcare professionals through videoconferencing.

TriGen has trained about 150 seniors so far, and by the end of June, it hopes to equip 200 vulnerable seniors - many of whom live alone - with smartphones and Internet connections. It will also pair the seniors with volunteers who can teach them to use their devices well, including how to use WhatsApp and make video calls as well as search for information online.

Project Wire Up started with the elderly from SGH's Hospital to Home programme.

TriGen plans to tap the Digital for Life fund to, among other things, help more residents from rental flats around SGH.

For more details on Digital for Life, including information on applying for funding support or donating to the movement, visit www.go.gov.sg/digitalforlife