E-buddies and Digibus must close the digital divide

The municipality of Oudenburg also provides e-buddies to help people digitally, in the service center and at the social grocer. And it’s not always older people who need help. Younger people can also be digitally vulnerable. Often they are not well off financially. And let the internet also be the gateway to work. Oudenburg already had a project, but is expanding it further. Romina Vanhooren, alderman of Welzijn Oudenburg: “The European Union is now linking almost one million euros to this for our region. That is very important financing. The term is two years, which is short, but that means that we years will be able to make a very big difference. We are also looking at what else we can do ourselves.”

There will also be a digibus with European funds. “It is of course led by the city of Ostend, but the entire Central Coast reference region is also involved in it. All hinterland municipalities in the region are also involved. We are actually going to create a platform with that digibus, whereby a lot of laptops and tablets are purchased that can be borrowed temporarily.”