Making digital technology an opportunity for everyone
About us
In our increasingly digital world, the lack of digital skills and resources prevents many people from accessing essential services. Not having access to the internet today means being shut out of the job market, cut off from healthcare access, and severed from social connection.
At Emmaüs Connect, a French non-profit organization founded in 2013, we are breaking this cycle. By targeting the three aspects of digital and social poverty—access to digital equipment, access to the internet and cellular data, and support in developing essential digital skills—we are committed to bridging this gap sustainably and equitably.
people in digital and social poverty have been helped since 2013
What we do
Equip
We provide digital equipment (computers, smartphones, tablets, basic phones) at our digital community centers. The devices are mainly collected from businesses through our reuse network, LaCollecte.tech. They are then refurbished by partner organizations and made available to people in need at affordable prices.
Connect
People experiencing precarious life situations are often unable to subscribe to phone plans in France, as this requires access to a bank account and stable address. For this reason, Emmaüs Connect has established a partnership with SFR, the second-largest telecom company in France, to provide a low-cost mobile recharge card to disadvantaged individuals.
Support
To fully address the digital divide, we engage with beneficiaries through a holistic, long-term support program. At our digital community centers, beneficiaries find resources and personalized workshops, ranging from one-time sessions to longer-term courses, depending on their needs.
We need your support
to help us reach 500,000 people
If you donate from the US, you can benefit from a tax deduction.
Equivalent to offering a refurbished computer
Equals a 6-hours digital learning course
Equivalent to providing a computer and 6-hours digital learning course for a family
Where we operate
In France
We operate in 18 territories (cities or departments) in metropolitan France and in the French overseas departments and regions (DROMs), both in our digital communities centers and in partner organizations. We have trained 500 social organizations to become Digital Hubs called « Les Relais Numériques ». Emmaüs Connect also implements projects internationally.
In Africa
In Benin, Emmaüs Connect works with local partner associations to develop digital inclusion activities for young people, women and people living in rural areas. By providing digital skills and access to equipment and network connection, Emmaüs Connect and its partners support social and professional integration of these vulnerable groups and give them access to their rights in a context of rapid dematerialization. Future partnerships are anticipated in other African countries.
About Emmaus movement
Emmaus Connect is part of the Emmaus movement, a secular solidarity movement founded in 1949 that fights against social exclusion. Today, the Emmaus movement is present in 40 countries across 4 continents and includes over 420 groups with more than 34,000 participants (companions, volunteers, and employees).
