Mapo-gu Supports Dream PC of Love to Alleviate Educational Inequality for Underprivileged Children

Mapo Dream Start Provides PCs and Online Learning Support for 30 Elementary Students

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] “The computer at home was broken, so I had to do online learning on my phone, but the letters were hard to see and it was difficult to concentrate on the class. Now, I’m really happy thinking about attending classes on a big screen.”

As soon as Kim OO, a child under the care of Mapo Dream Start, saw the newly installed computer at home, they smiled broadly and said this.

The grandmother of another child under care, Han OO, also teared up, saying, “There are many assignments from school that require using a computer, but we didn’t have one at home, so I always felt sorry for my grandchild. I’m really grateful for this help.”

Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun) announced that it will provide 30 units of ‘Love Dream PCs’ free of charge to eliminate educational inequality among vulnerable children in the region.

This support targets 30 elementary school students under Mapo Dream Start whose learning environments are poor due to lack of a computer at home or having outdated computers, as online learning has become widespread due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the existing Mapo-gu Love PC project, which repairs, cleans, and packages used PCs past their service life to support information-disadvantaged groups, a private sponsor of Mapo Dream Start (Mr. Ko Ui-jeong) donated 30 units of 24-inch monitors, and Mapo Dream Start will provide webcams for online learning.

Employees from the district’s IT department will refurbish the used PCs by replacing parts and cleaning inside and out, then package and deliver the computer units, monitors, webcams, keyboards, etc., directly to each household for installation.

Meanwhile, since its opening in 2011, Mapo Dream Start has been providing customized integrated services to vulnerable children under 12 years old (elementary school age or younger), promoting healthy growth and development, ensuring equal starting opportunities, and supporting them to grow into excellent members of society through child welfare projects.

Recently, on its 10th anniversary, it attracted attention by publishing an activity book titled ‘Dreams and Hopes’ to share the achievements of the past 10 years and explore future directions.

Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun of Mapo-gu said, “As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of days students cannot attend school, educational gaps due to economic circumstances have deepened. Mapo-gu will spare no effort to actively support eliminating educational inequality for vulnerable children, not only through this PC support but also through other measures.”