Tortola, British Virgin Islands, September 21, 2020: As students, educators and parents around the Globe continue to adjust to remote learning, Republic Bank (BVI) has partnered with the Rotary Club Sunrise to donate laptops to local schools. The partnership is part of a basic education and literacy focus meant to address the lack of resources and supplies for children especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marion Blyden, Managing Director, Republic Bank (BVI), explained that the Bank’s support is in keeping with the mission of its Power to Make A Difference Programme which counts the Power to Learn as one of its key pillars. Through this pillar, the Bank has traditionally sought to provide opportunities for young people to achieve their true potential through education, sport, culture and the arts.
Ms. Blyden said “As the world continues to change around us, we are focused on safeguarding the wellbeing of our communities and the continued success of our youth.” She added, “The switch to remote learning is a sudden and significant adjustment for many students, but we are confident in the abilities and resilience of the youth of the British Virgin Islands. We know they will adapt and come out of this experience stronger, and we are proud to do our part to help them achieve their full potential.”
Closing the digital divide has always been a critical factor in addressing the world’s complex socio-economic challenges but the pandemic’s unprecedented disruption to traditional models of education has made the issue that much more urgent. A swift solution to this challenge calls for broad involvement of government, academia, civil society and the private sector as well as partnerships between key actors like the Rotary Club and Republic Bank (BVI) that help provide our communities with the resources they need.