Melbourne librarian Coralie Kouvelas’ plan to help people who can’t afford wifi

·

Coralie Kouvelas is the Thomastown library branch manager and according to The Guardian, a trip to the car park during Melbourne’s sixth lockdown planted the seed for a project to help people who can’t afford wifi.

Kouvelas noticed it was always the same vehicles in the library car park and after approaching them to say hello, she found out the children were there to do their homework – using the library’s wireless internet.

“They mentioned they did not have wifi at home. One family had four kids from the ages of 19 right down to eight or nine. They were a migrant family and they were quite fearful, but more than anything they were incredibly embarrassed that they were sitting in the car park,” Kouvelas told the news outlet.

The pilot program is now currently operating out of Lalor and Thomastown libraries.

In response, Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries allocated $50,000 for a pilot program to give wifi dongles with 60GB per month of data to 100 families for a year. The library partnered with a not-for-profit support service, Whittlesea Community Connections, to help identify families in need, and Vodafone, who supplied a suitable product.

The pilot program is now currently operating out of Lalor and Thomastown libraries and Kouvelas said many of the households accessing the program are migrant families without strong English skills, or people living in insecure housing.

“We’ve had some schools who have taken the hotspot on board for people who are in domestic violence situations. It’s providing a simple service and it’s vital,” she said.

Source: The Guardian.

READ MORE: Marrickville Library could soon be named the best in the world.

Cretan Convention - Web Banner

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

From crisis to compassion: Timos Roussos and his family’s mercy mission in war-torn Cyprus

When Turkish troops landed on Cyprus on 20 July 1974, six-year-old Timos Roussos was sitting on the floor of his family’s home in Lemesos.

A granddaughter returns: Georgia Georgiou retraces her yiayia’s occupied village in Cyprus

When Georgia Georgiou handed over her Cypriot ID at the border checkpoint to cross into occupied northern Cyprus, she felt an ache.

‘You never get over it’: A childhood shattered by the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

On a warm July morning in 1974, 10-year-old Anastasia Di Loreto (née Karatzia) was jolted awake by the sound of bombs falling on Kyrenia.

Cyprus: The paradox of tolerance and impunity for Turkey

The lack of a unified, systematic and practical strategy on the part of Greece has led the Cyprus crisis into national disarray.

Lost homes and lingering hope: Greek-Cypriots reflect on Turkish invasion and its aftermath

From hidden stories to haunting memories, two Greek-Cypriot men share what it means to carry the burden of Cyprus’ past.

You May Also Like

Costa Georgiadis and Junior Landcare encouraging Aussie kids to get outside and explore

This September, host of Gardening Australia and Landcare champion Costa Georgiadis is joining forces with Junior Landcare to ask Aussie kids ‘What’s in your backyard?’

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou on why shops remain closed despite the end of lockdown

A number of stores in the MetCentre in the Sydney CBD closed last week and boarded-up shopfronts riddle the city's north.

‘Beyond logic’: Greece rejects Turkey’s renewed demand for demilitarisation of islands

Greece has again rejected Turkey’s latest demand to demilitarise its islands, saying they “go beyond simple logic.”