Vodafone to Advance Digital Skills and Education

Hungary is one of the recipient countries in the latest Vodafone Foundation program to expand digital skills and education programs by funding local initiatives.

Coinciding with the International Day of Education, Vodafone has announced an investment of EUR 20 million to expand Foundation digital skills and education programs by funding local initiatives in Albania, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. This investment is expected to reach 16 million learners by 2025.

A statement by the company says the programs, delivered in partnership with charities and NGOs, will enable people to develop their knowledge and skills in using digital technologies, with the goal to reach millions of primary and secondary learners, those who are not in education, employment or training, and the elderly.

As Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read said, “Vodafone is proud to support the critical development of digital skills and education in the communities we serve through our expertise in connectivity and technology.  We remain committed, in an ever increasingly digital world, to building inclusive digital societies where nobody is left behind, which matters now more than ever as society aims to build back better following the impact of COVID-19.”

The EUR 20 million investment will be spread over the next five years. This is in addition to the estimated EUR 150 million of in-kind donations from Vodafone Group to a range of COVID-19-related initiatives, and a EUR 10 million investment from Vodafone Foundation in the emergency phase of the COVID-19 response in 2020.

“Like the international Vodafone Foundations, Vodafone Hungary Foundation's main focus is education, which is one of the most important cornerstones of society. The Digital School Program was launched to develop the digital competencies of students and educators living in disadvantaged areas. We have gained a lot of experience over the years and we have developed a lot of good practices and methods. We have been working for years to extend these to the entire Hungarian education system - an effort that has been further strengthened by the advent of distance and digital education due to the pandemic. We will also use the investment to bring the opportunities of the digital world to even more students and educators,” Emőke Flakstad, Secretary General of the Vodafone Hungary Foundation, said in connection with the announcement.