As part of its ongoing effort to bridge the digital divide in East Africa, Arrow Electronics (www.Arrow.com) provided laptops and cell phones to the Global Livingston Institute (GLI) (www.GlobalLivingston.org), a nonprofit focused on improving health, the environment and economic development opportunities in the region. 

The equipment was sourced from Arrow collaborator Close the Gap (www.Close-The-Gap.org), a nonprofit and social enterprise that operates an electronics refurbishment operation in Nairobi, Kenya. The equipment supports GLI’s community development programs in Uganda.

In the city of Lira, in northern Uganda, the organization deployed the devices at a new center that recycles 15 tons of plastic each month and provides the opportunity for community members to earn income for collecting plastic. An agricultural co-op in the area - where more than 500 farmers have been trained in best practices to increase yields and have better access to markets -  also is using the devices to track finances. These enterprises are part of GLI’s program in an area recovering from the impact of the Lord's Resistance Army insurgency that abducted child soldiers and kidnapped girls in central African nations.

In the western Ugandan city of Kabale, local health providers are using the equipment as part of a program to reach the most vulnerable with HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. 

“Thanks to Arrow for keeping our communities together through technology, from Kampala to Colorado. The company’s leadership supports young leaders around the globe to listen, think, and act -- even during a pandemic.” said GLI Founder and CEO Jamie Van Leeuwen.

With offices in Denver and Uganda, GLI is dedicated to improving communities globally. The organization’s mission is to convene global communities to learn and advance best practices in community development, and create equitable, sustainable, and culturally responsive solutions to challenges in the areas of health, economic development and the environment.