JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — When students were forced to learn remotely amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Yvonne David realized that some students would lose what has become necessary to succeed in the world — computers.
While her two sons used school-issued devices, she and her husband worked from home on their computers. But, in other households, she knew the situation was more precarious.
“It became so crystal clear to me that this is something that maybe we can do something about,” David said.
So, David founded The Pippin Project, a nonprofit that refurbishes old computers and gifts them to those who can’t otherwise afford them — even in Johns Creek, an affluent city with a median household income of more than $153,000, according to 2022 U.S. Census data.
After forming connections with school social workers, David has provided around two dozen computers to students at Chattahoochee High School each year since 2021 and close to 30 to students at Decatur High School in her first year.
David is originally from the Netherlands, where she earned her master’s degree in sociology of developing nations. The education system is much different there, she said, with cheaper tuition and easier inroads to obtain an advanced degree.
A formative experience for David was conducting her thesis research in Trinidad and Tobago. The country has a stable economy due to its oil and gas production, but working through its poorer communities was an eye opener for David.
“That was the first time that I was face to face with it, because in the Netherlands, I wasn’t confronted,” said David, who also serves on the board for The Netherland-America Foundation chapter in Atlanta.
The Pippin Project doesn’t just serve senior graduates, why David has opted out of grant funding — she also provides devices to students who have dropped out. She said…
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