Google has announced a new $5.3 million initiative that will see the company offering Chromebooks to nonprofit aid organizations in Germany.
Chromebooks are generally low-cost laptops that use apps that run in the cloud, which in turn basically means that they require an Internet connection for their functions.
"Chromebooks have proven to be a good fit for education purposes. They can be easily set up to run education or language-learning apps. They're automatically kept up to date with the latest features, apps and virus protection," said Google in a statement. "And they can be configured and managed by a central administrator (in this case the nonprofits) to offer relevant programs, content and materials depending on the situation."
The grant comes from the company's Google.org charity arm, and supports Project Reconnect, which facilitates education for refugees as well as helping them connect with their family and friends.
The news comes around four months after Google announced $5.5 million in donations to help refugees. The company also released an open-source website and app called Crisis Info Hub, which was aimed at helping refugees landing in Lesvos, Greece, get the information they need about things like lodging, transportation, and so on.
The past year has seen major refugee crisis as people leave the Middle East and Africa, and Germany has been one of the most welcoming countries for these people. In fact, more than 1 million refugees registered in the country in 2015 alone.
The grant will enable organizations to apply to NetHope for up to 5,000 Chromebooks, with a total of 25,000 Chromebooks up for grabs. The Chromebooks will be offered first to organizations that can demonstrate the impact that Chromebooks will have on their work.
