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There is a modern version of Santa Claus in Milan: he is no longer an old man dressed in red, with a long white beard, who rides a sleigh and reindeer, but four young people of 18 years who, equipped with bicycles, and from an office ” borrowed »In via Copernico, pack and deliver reconditioned computers and tablets. These aspiring Santa Claus are Jacopo Rangone, Matteo Mainetti, Pietro Cappellini and Emanuele Sacco, in the last year of high school: during the summer they created” PC4Utech “, an initiative non-profit that donates regenerated PCs and tablets on loan for free use. to students who have none. The closure of schools has exposed the technological abyss into which the entire country is sinking, starting with Lombardy: according to Istat, in fact, in the region 27 percent of families do not have a computer and almost six out of ten Lombard students must share it with others.
“I listened to the stories of my sister’s classmates, who was in the seventh grade at the time, and I realized that there were many children who had great difficulty following the lessons online. Not only because of the instability of the connection, but also because they did not have the tools (PC or tablet) to do so and were often forced to use smartphones. I thought I had to do something, ”says Jacopo, who is the mind of“ PC4Utech ”. “I talked about it with Matteo and then with Pietro, who is a computer expert. And finally we involved Emanuele, who specializes in graphics. In a few days, the four of them have launched the organization creating an online platform that is the axis of all their work (currently voluntary). “It’s very simple: through the site, we receive used computers as donations from individuals and sometimes even companies. We regenerate them and then deliver them to those who need them. The package reaches the hands of those who requested it with a careful packaging designed by us. And always through the online platform you can request a PC or a tablet ».
Jacopo, Matteo, Pietro, and Emanuele have thought extensively about the possibility of entering parameters to select requests. But in the end they decided not to. “We told ourselves that we didn’t want to set limits, we wanted the children to feel free to ask for help. We relied on good faith and got it right – all applicants really needed it. ” It is mainly mothers who request a device for their children: to date almost 200 have been delivered. “But in a few days we will reach 300.” The packages are delivered, between Milan and the interior, thanks to the For-Te social cooperative, made up of ten children with cognitive disabilities. The system works, so much so that even Mayor Giuseppe Sala is interested in “PC4Utech”. “We wrote him an email at the end of November, he answered us and immediately afterwards we made a video call in which we explained the project to him. And in the end he told us that he wanted to come and see with his own eyes what we were doing. So on Monday he came, packed a pc, even signed the ticket and then we all went together to deliver the device to the mother of two children. Later, Sala posted the video on her very active Instagram account with 236,000 followers. “Their work is voluntary, let’s help them cover the costs with a small financial contribution through the crowdfunding platform,” he wrote. In fact, today is the last day to donate to “PC4Utech” a sum that will be invested in the purchase of other reconditioned devices (7 thousand euros); in the reconditioning of other tablets and PCs (for another 7 thousand euros) and, finally, for administration expenses (one thousand euros). «We want to grow and help as many young people as possible and for this we need a small contribution».
