Salt Lake City, UT, September 26, 2023 – CHOICE Humanitarian, a global non-profit organization, has joined forces with Visa, a global payment leader, and Human-I-T, a non-profit organization providing digital literacy services in North America, to enhance the technology capacity of rural residents of Navajo Nation. This initiative will provide digital and financial literacy training through Visa’s Digital Empowerment Program, along with 130 refurbished laptops donated by Human-I-T. The project will be overseen by CHOICE Humanitarian’s local Navajo Nation team, in operation since 2020.
According to Robert Black, CHOICE’s Country Director for the Navajo Nation, “CHOICE Humanitarian is truly grateful to be working with world-class organizations that are not only the best at what they do but have a tremendous amount of heart. By providing access to technology and training with Visa and Human-I-T, we are not just bridging the digital gap to aid in CHOICE’s mission to reduce poverty but also opening doors to educational opportunities, job prospects, and improved financial well-being together with Navajo communities.”
Michelle Gethers, chief diversity officer and head of corporate responsibility at Visa, stated, “Access to technology is critical to our mission to help empower more people and businesses thrive in today’s digital world. I’m so proud of our Visa Natives, Allies, Tribal, and Indigenous Voices Everywhere (NATIVE) ERG (employee resource group) employees who have helped expand our Digital Empowerment Program to the residents of Navajo Nation. Together with Human-I-T and CHOICE Humanitarian, we can help to transform lives in the communities that need it most.”
The distribution of laptops, scheduled for September 27-28, 2023, will begin with comprehensive digital and financial literacy workshops conducted by Visa, Human-I-T, and local educators. Participants will come from several chapters across the former Bennett Freeze area of the Navajo Nation, including Leupp, Copper Mine, Tolani Lake, Cameron, Tuba City, and more.
The participants include children in pre-K through K, teenagers, and entrepreneurs. They will be taught basic digital literacy, computer proficiency, online safety, internet navigation, financial fundamentals, and essential digital skills. The goal is to provide the necessary skills to utilize the laptops and enhance their educational and career opportunities.
Paulina Sanchez, Senior Program Manager from Human-I-T, expressed, “Collaborations like this shrink the digital divide and empower participants to unlock their full potential. Our mission is to create equitable access to opportunity by providing devices, home internet access, digital skills training, and tech support to communities. We are honored to play a part in making a difference in the Navajo Nation.”
For more information about this collaboration and CHOICE Humanitarian’s work in the Navajo Nation to reduce poverty, visit http://www.choicehumanitarian.org/navajonation.
About CHOICE Humanitarian
CHOICE Humanitarian is a non-profit development organization with four decades of experience working to reduce global poverty in Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Kenya, Mexico, the Navajo Nation, Nepal, and Peru. For more information, visit http://www.choicehumanitarian.org.
About Human-I-T
Human-I-T aims to create equitable access to opportunity by providing devices, internet access, digital skills training, and tech support for communities left on the wrong side of the digital divide. For more information, visit http://www.human-i-t.org.
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