---
title: "Recycling Group Welcomes Refugees By Offering Laptops"
id: "31946"
type: "post"
slug: "recycling-group-welcomes-refugees-by-offering-laptops"
published_at: "2016-02-01T19:56:42+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-16T15:26:41+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/02/01/recycling-group-welcomes-refugees-by-offering-laptops/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2016/02/01/recycling-group-welcomes-refugees-by-offering-laptops.md"
excerpt: "Canada's Electronic Recycling Association has teamed up with a Calgary-based nonprofit to give used laptops to refugee families that have recently immigrated to the region."
taxonomy_category:
  - "Advocacy"
taxonomy_post_tag:
  - "AssociationsNow"
  - "donors"
  - "recycling"
  - "refugees"
  - "Technology"
taxonomy_content_format:
  - "Article"
taxonomy_role:
  - "Association CEO / Executive Director"
  - "C-Level"
  - "Executive Team"
taxonomy_persona:
  - "Industry Professionals"
---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
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 » Recycling Group Welcomes Refugees By Offering Laptops

[Technology has been one of the biggest stories](associationsnow.com/2015/10/refugee-crisis-technology-redefining-nonprofit-aid/)
 within the ongoing refugee crisis that’s leading hundreds of thousands of people to leave the Middle East for Europe and other countries.

Likewise, once these refugees get to their final destination, they may find some technological help ready to get them on their feet. Last month, [the Electronic Recycling Association (opens in a new tab)](https://www.era.ca/)
, a Canadian trade group that works to keep usable electronic devices in circulation, teamed up with the Calgary Bridge Foundation for Youth (CBFY) to get recycled laptops into the hands of people who need them.

ERA generally [gives refurbished machines to Canadian residents in need](http://associationsnow.com/2015/05/e-waste-group-boots-fundraising-program-local-charities/)
, but the organization is setting aside machines for refugee families when donors specify who should receive the used equipment.

“Most households and certainly businesses have unwanted or disused computer equipment, all we ask is that they give us a call, let us come pick it up and see if we can reuse it for the refugees arriving in Calgary this year,” ERA Founder and President Bojan Paduh [said in a news release (opens in a new tab)](http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/01/prweb13176705.htm)
.

The group is hoping to provide 100 machines specifically for refugees as part of its collaboration with CBFY.

“To a refugee, a computer offers hope—access to employment resources, communication with family members back home—and we can provide that hope with your help,” ERA added in its news release.

(Handout photo)

[Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/)

Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/)

Tags: [#donors](https://associationsnow.com/tag/donors/)
 [#recycling](https://associationsnow.com/tag/recycling/)
 [#refugees](https://associationsnow.com/tag/refugees/)
 [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/)

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