UAE: Got old phones, broken laptops? How to donate used devices to help needy students

Be honest: How many times have you thrown away a broken laptop or an old mobile phone that nobody wanted? Those kinds of junk, known as electronic waste, don't just vanish into thin air — they pile up, creating huge mountains of trash.

In fact, the world is generating as much as 50 million tonnes of e-waste every year — which is like discarding 800 laptops every second, based on global estimates.

So, if you have a drawer full of outdated gadgets you don't use anymore, don't put them in the bin. Donate them.

The UAE Government is runningto collect used devices and get them fixed so they can be handed to underprivileged students from around the world. This way, you're not only doing the planet a favour — you're also pitching in for a noble cause.

Called 'Donate Your Own Device', this UAE initiative gathers different kinds of gadgets, including those that are no longer working. Here's a guide:

You can donate as an individual or as part of an organisation.

If you're on your own, you can simply take your devices to the Emirates Red Crescent's (ERC) centre across the country. You can find the addresses on the ERC's website (emiratesrc.ae).

You may also request a home pickup service: Download the Reloop app and sign up. By using the Reloop app, you may also earn points that you can use to redeem various vouchers.

If you are donating as part of an organisation, you'll have to fill out a form on the DYOD website and provide details, such as the number of devices that you'll be giving away. Your organisation's donations will be picked up from a specified address. You'll find the form here: https://www.donateyourowndevice.org/donation-channels

One of the reasons many people prefer to keep their gadgets — instead of selling or giving them away — is because they are worried about all the data that could be stolen from these devices.

The UAE's DYOD, however, has put security measures in place. Soon after getting the donated laptops or mobile phones, the gadgets are sent to a data wiping facility. The team has partnered with EcycleX for this thorough data erasure procedure.

Broken, non-working devices are recycled while those that can be saved are refurbished so they can be in good working condition before they reach students in need.

The main beneficiaries are the students of The Digital School (TDS), a humanitarian project of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI). TDS provides certified online education to those who don't have access to formal schooling in the Arab region and the rest of the world.

These students "live in underserved communities with little to no access to the digital world", the DYOD said.

Donated devices end up in the hands of students in any of the TDS' seven locations: Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Mauritania, Bangladesh, and Colombia.