Vodafone pledges 50,000 free sims to homelessness charities

UK operator Vodafone will donate 50,000 SIM cards worth a total of £4,500,000 to homelessness charities in the UK.

Vodafone has partnered with youth homelessness charity network LandAid to distribute the SIM cards, which don’t require a name or address and include free data, unlimited texts and UK calls. They will be available through national charities such as Centrepoint and local community charities.

The initiative falls under the umbrella of Vodafone’s charities.connected programme which launched in 2021, and gives every UK registered charity the opportunity to apply for free connectivity to improve its own digital capability or help individuals get online. It claims to have supported over 1,800 organisations so far which aim to provide help issues such as refugees, domestic abuse, homelessness, healthcare and learning disabilities.

“I’m pleased we are supporting homelessness charities across the UK by providing free connectivity that doesn’t require a name or address,” said Ahmed Essam, UK CEO at Vodafone. “Being connected is vital to access support services and stay in touch with friends and family.  Now more than ever, it’s important that we help those who are digitally excluded. We call on all registered charities to apply for free connectivity so we can help as many people as possible.”

Paul Morrish, CEO of LandAid added: “We are excited to have partnered with Vodafone on this important campaign. The last couple of years have seen the world being catapulted into a new digital age. And we show no signs of going back. At LandAid, we saw first-hand the devastating effects that lack of connectivity had on many of the young people we support who were experiencing homelessness throughout the pandemic.

“Loneliness was rife and the ability to work and continue with training opportunities stalled. These SIM cards will enable thousands of young people across the UK to maintain vital personal and professional relationships at a time when digital connectivity is more important than ever.”

There has been an increase in programmes looking to address ‘digital poverty’ in the last few years, and with the cost of living crisis looking like it’s going no where soon the issue is bound to be a continued focus for charities and firms looking to help out a little.

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