In a small, brightly lit workshop, Sujan Selven and his workforce are busy restoring undesirable computer systems for donation to native households.
Selven is the founding father of Upcycled Tech, a social enterprise that goals to assist get extra faculty college students on-line, particularly these from deprived households.
“In Australia, despite the fact that we’re a developed nation, there are numerous households with no entry to gadgets,” says Selven, 38.
“When college students do not have entry outdoors the classroom, they typically fall behind in school. So, a second-hand laptop helps with their homework, analysis and assignments.”
A volunteer restoring a used laptop on the workshop. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
It is a view backed up by analysis. A latest KPMG report discovered that 84 per cent of scholars with insufficient entry to a pc (outdoors the classroom) struggled to complete class work and assignments.
Selven’s workforce upgrades discarded expertise. Many gadgets are donated by small companies or charities.
Tamil neighborhood volunteer Viji Dhayanathan says for refugee and asylum seeker households, the reward of expertise will be life-changing.
Viji Dhayanathan is a Tamil neighborhood volunteer. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“Most youngsters at the moment are utilizing laptops to do their research. However in lots of households, mother and father simply cannot afford to purchase three or 4 laptops if they’ve three or 4 children.
“With out a system, they can’t sustain with their research or do their homework like different youngsters.”
Selven additionally grew up with restricted expertise, in a distant space of northern Sri Lanka.
He was born right into a Tamil household in 1985 in Vanni district, throughout that nation’s bitter civil warfare.
Sujan Selven at his Sydney workplace. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“We didn’t have entry to electrical energy, not to mention a pc. For a lot of my childhood, we have been hiding in bunkers.
“The air power would bomb the Vanni space, and numerous faculties have been [hit]. A lot of my faculty pals have been killed in the course of the warfare,” he says.
Selven arrived in Australia together with his household in 2000, and later labored carefully with different refugees. It was then he started on the lookout for a technique to give again.
“I am alive and I survived, and I believe I’ve a duty to do one thing.
“So, after I discovered concerning the [digital divide] I made a decision to concentrate on that, to assist remedy that drawback.”
Saif Al-Yousuf and Sujan Selven (standing) restoring a pc. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
His enterprise now helps native households in Australia and can also be making a distinction in his homeland, Sri Lanka.
“In distant areas of Sri Lanka, lower than 20 per cent of the inhabitants has entry to gadgets. Web connectivity is even decrease,” he says.
“College students in Sri Lanka typically share one to 2 computer systems between round 30 college students. We now have given some faculties 15 computer systems per classroom,” he says.
“And that is in three provinces – north, east and south. Thus far, we have now donated a couple of thousand gadgets.”
Sri Lanka is progressively rising from a extreme monetary disaster throughout which inflation peaked at 70 per cent.
That led to mass protests, with thousands and thousands affected by meals, medical and gas shortages.
Amongst Sri Lankans to learn from Upcycled Tech donations is Lathukshan, a robotics and laptop science pupil.
“Studying was robust earlier as we had solely two computer systems. For the reason that laptops have been donated, studying has turn into a lot simpler,” he says. “So, thanks for these gadgets.”
Digital waste able to be upcycled. Supply: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
However Selven is doing greater than donating expertise to Australians and Sri Lankans.
Recycling is an efficient technique to scale back the 200-thousand tonnes of computer systems and different digital or ‘e-waste’ despatched to landfill annually.
CEO of PlanetArk, Rebecca Gilling, Australia generates 531,000 tons of e-waste yearly.
“E-waste is among the quickest rising areas of waste globally, and Australia cuts effectively above its weight,” she says.
“In line with the Nationwide Waste Report of 2022, which is the newest knowledge all of us have, the common Australian produced in extra of 20 kilograms of e-waste.
“That’s far in extra of the worldwide common, which is round seven kilos per individual per yr,” she says.
Restoring a discarded laptop. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“In 2020-21, about 54 per cent of the e-waste that we generated was despatched for recycling, and of that, about 35 per cent of supplies have been recovered. So the remainder sadly went into landfill.
Australians purchase nearly 5 million new computer systems yearly, and thousands and thousands of outdated, undesirable computer systems are despatched to landfill annually.
In line with Gilling, dumping used expertise is each harmful and a missed alternative.
“We’re dropping very invaluable supplies like treasured metals. And we’re additionally placing probably poisonous supplies into landfill,” she says.
Donated computer systems prepared for upcylcing. Supply: SBS / Sandra Fulloon
“So, we actually want to gather these gadgets, hold them in circulation wherever attainable.”
For technician Saif Al-Yousef, who volunteers at Upcycled Tech, repairing used gadgets is a win-win for the surroundings and struggling households.
“We clear the gadgets, improve them with new components, after which we guarantee that they’re working completely,” he says.
“That approach, computer systems and laptops will hold going for maybe one other 5 – 6 years with out households spending an excessive amount of cash.
Saif Al-Yousuf volunteers restoring computer systems in Sydney. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“It makes me very comfortable, figuring out a toddler who has no laptop will get a tool that helps with their training.”
Founder Sujan Selven nonetheless works full-time as an operations supervisor at a civil electrical firm, and says his challenge will give 5 restored laptops to an anti-slavery charity in Australia this week.
He additionally goals to extend the supply of gadgets to his homeland.
“It’s numerous crimson tape in the mean time to take the gadgets into Sri Lanka. However we’re slowly discussing with the federal government to make issues smoother,” he says.
“In future, we wish to develop the variety of gadgets that we obtain, and the variety of those that profit from our service.”
Sujan Selven at his Sydney workshop. Supply: SBS / Spencer Austad
“My purpose is to attach every faculty with a pc. And I believe we’re progressing on that in Sri Lanka,” he says.
“However finally, I hope to get a pc and connectivity into every family.
“That might be my final purpose.”
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Tamil.