Bridging the Digital Divide

The development of information technologies such as personal computers and the Internet has created a digital divide between users of these technologies and those with limited access or knowledge about them. By donating PCs and providing instruction, the Toshiba Group is helping to bridge this digital divide and eliminate the large disparities in treatment, wealth, and opportunities that have emerged between these two groups of people.

• Donation of PCs to Philippine High Schools
• Donation of Used Computers in Korea
• Support for Young Hospital Patients in Canada
• Donation of Used Computers in Malaysia
• Donation of Used Computers in Japan

Donation of PCs to Philippine High Schools

In an effort to improve computer literacy in the Philippines, where less than half of the some 5,000 high schools have access to the Internet, Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines) and Toshiba Storage Device (Philippines) have donated 100 laptop computers to 10 public high schools in Laguna Province every year since fiscal 2007 as part of their continuing support of the "Gearing up Internet Literacy and Access for Students" (GILAS) Program sponsored by the Ayala Foundation.
They have also helped develop the necessary environment for Internet access. So far, the two companies have benefited 35% of all high schools in Laguna Province-home to Toshiba Information Equipment (Philippines)-by donating a total of 440 laptop computers to 44 high schools.

Support for Young Hospital Patients in Canada

Since 2008, Toshiba of Canada has been supporting a private organization called Upopolis, which allows young hospital patients to connect with their network of friends, family, and school through a private social community they can access with a computer. By providing hygienically treated Toshiba laptop computers to such children, Toshiba of Canada makes sure they can keep in touch with their friends, family and school and thereby reduce the stress of being alone and eliminate worries about getting behind in their school work.

Donation of Used Computers in Japan

To boost computer literacy in welfare and community organizations lacking sufficient information technology due to financial reasons or otherwise, Toshiba has been donating used computers to such organizations via the authorized NPO eparts. The company donated 410 computers in fiscal 2010, for an accumulated total of 1,140 computers since 2006.

Donation of Used Computers in Korea

Toshiba Electronics Korea Corporation has been donating computers to IT centers for people with disabilities in Korea since 2005. The computers, which have a history of minor glitches, are repaired and provided free of charge to people with disabilities who have insufficient income to purchase a computer for themselves.

Donation of Used Computers in Malaysia

Toshiba Sales & Services in Malaysia donated used computers to a neighborhood orphanage to replace those that had broken down, to ensure children in the orphanage have the same opportunity to become familiar with computers as all other children.