Ukraine, December 2023 – Reusing IT has sent over 200 gaming computers to children’s homes throughout Ukraine.
Our core support in Ukraine to date has been computers for education. Equally importantly, children also still need to have a childhood, with time out from education and time to play.
The war in Ukraine has resulted in a huge number of children being internally displaced – official estimates suggest that over 50% of Ukraine’s children were displaced within six months of the start of the war, a staggering figure. A large number were evacuated to safer areas, some have been orphaned, and some from homes where the father is fighting or killed in action, and their mother can no longer support them financially alone.
The result is that many children’s homes (which before the war had been destined to close as the country moved towards a foster system) have suddenly been filled. With up to twenty children sleeping in dormitories designed for four, the beds are pushed together with no space between them. The children have very little just a few clothes and toys.
“It’s heartbreaking,” says Ross, “But we realised we could bring a little fun into their lives by building gaming computers for them. We have now sent out over 200 gaming computers to different children’s home throughout Ukraine.”
True to Reusing IT’s principles, the gaming computers have been created out of refurbished workstations donated by St Andrews and Aberdeen Universities. They are design machines that students have used to learn design, so were easily repurposed into gaming computers.