GIS student John Ling is the latest recipient of the prestigious EARCOS Global Citizenship Award, in recognition of his innovative work in creating a social enterprise which aims to bridge the digital divide.
Having founded ‘Plugged in Malaysia’ when he was just 15 years old, John’s inspiring work enables access to technology for students from deprived communities. By collecting broken computers and repairing them back into working order, ‘Plugged in Malaysia’ has given hundreds of young people the chance to engage with online learning and therefore the opportunity to continue their education when otherwise this would not have been possible as a result of the pandemic.
Since its inception 12 months ago, 166 computers have been donated to ‘Plugged in Malaysia’ and they have a 73% success rate at making E-waste usable. By working with two key charities, JREC and MyReader, PIM’s work has impacted the lives of 850 children across 5 UNHCR schools and assists MyReader’s remedial literacy programme for underprivileged children. This work has been able to develop at such a fast pace with the support of companies such as Chubb, AmBank and DHL, who have all pledged computers.
Upon receiving the news of his prestigious award, John, who is currently spending his summer in London at the Imperial College London Global Summer School, said, ‘I’m humbled to win the EARCOS Global Citizen Award 2022 and accept it on behalf of all the people who have helped, volunteered and supported #PluggedInMalaysia over the last 12 months. It’s impossible for a 15 year old to start a charity without help. Thank you to all people who searched their storerooms, recommended us to people, to their companies, who donated to our Spare Parts Fund, who retweeted and shared our posts. So much of our support has been given anonymously. Thank you to the 29 volunteers who helped in refurbishing the computers and to my teachers who nominated me for this award. They, together with my friends and family, have supported me throughout this amazing journey.’
As PIM continues to operate and grow, we are excited to see how it evolves. In the meantime, a huge ‘well done’ to John for all of the work that it has taken to create such an impactful social enterprise, which is even more impressive when we consider that it was born in the summer post his IGCSE exams! Congratulations John; we are all incredibly proud of you!
