"Finger to his forehead my father would tell me 'they can never take away what is in here'.''
Carmen Ene
CEO, 3stepIT
Growing up in Bucharest, these were words my parents instilled in me. They were confident that investments in learning would help carry me through hardship - and though any child hates to admit it, my parents were right. When I realised that my long-standing plan of becoming a doctor, like many of my friends, was not going to work, my education left me with options.
Education is widely acknowledged as the key to growth, innovation and achieving sustainable development. It is the not-so-secret source of success of countries such as Finland and Singapore.
Education is the best tool for fighting social inequality - and in today's interconnected world, it is almost synonymous with technology and digitalisation. Technology helps transform education into a more inclusive and interactive experience - it provides increased access to information and gives a voice to those who were previously denied a seat at the table. Thus, it is no wonder that digitalisation features as a key initiative on many countries' roadmaps for education, as well as the agenda of this year's EU Development Days.
At 3stepIT, we're firm believers in this transformative power of technology, which is why we're doing our share to help. Since its initiation in 2017, our Kaikille kone -initiative has provided hundreds of Finnish children with access to computers and mobile devices that would have otherwise remained out of their reach - and in doing so, opened new doors to education, employment, and above all, opportunities.
We like to keep good ideas in circulation - over our 20-year history, we've also refurbished thousands of corporate computers for new lives in schools and universities, proving that old computers can indeed learn new tricks.
Recycling computers ensures that everyone can gain access to safe, high-quality IT regardless of income. What's the next step for your computers - do they shut down for good or could they go on to serve the next generation?
Here's more about our corporate responsibility and sustainability.
