KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 30 refurbished laptops and ten new laptops were handed over to underprivileged students from four Chinese primary schools at Cheras Member of Parliament Tan Kok Wai’s service centre on 3 July.

Tan said Persatuan Kebajikan Riang Cahaya donated RM20,000 for the purchase of ten new laptops while non-governmental organisation Connect.ED refurbished 30 used laptops to be donated to students of SJK (C) Chin Woo (15 sets), SJK (C) Taman Connaught (ten sets), SJK (C) Chung Kwo (ten sets) and SJK (C) Imbi (five sets).

“Based on statistics, the number of hardcore poor families increased by 270% in the last two years and many could not afford a laptop,” Tan said.

SJK (C) Chin Woo was given the most laptops because some of the students there are orphans receiving financial assistance from Tan’s service centre, he explained.

A group of university students has initiated a project to collect used laptops and refurbish them to be donated to underprivileged students.

They are working with Tan’s service centre to distribute the used laptops to students studying at Chinese primary schools in Cheras.

Those keen to help B40 students with the laptops can contact his service centre.

Connect.ED has pooled students from different backgrounds to collect used laptops and refurbished them during the past one and a half years. It has distributed 146 refurbished laptops to students from B40 families.

Connect.ED also conducts online digital workshop free of charge to teach students how to use laptops.

Connect.ED representative Chen Wei Sheng said from their conversation with the students’ parents, laptop is often the last item they want to buy because filling the stomach is already a challenge to them.

Chen also said Connect.ED would continue to collect and upgrade used laptops for needy students.

Call 018-381 1573 or visit Connect.ED’s Instagram to donate used laptops.