Converge upgrades connectivity, devices at five Aeta centers
The renewed partnership between Converge ICT Solutions Inc. and the Clark Development Corp. is aimed at providing learning opportunities for Indigenous communities in and around the Clark Freeport Zone.
CONVERGE co-founder and chief executive Dennis Anthony Uy said accessibility has become important to education and participation in today’s digital economy, with his company’s partnership with the Clark Development Corp. aimed at addressing the needs of Aeta children.
Photograph courtesy of Converge
Converge ICT Solutions Inc. will provide free internet access and computer equipment to five learning centers serving Aeta children in Pampanga and Tarlac under a renewed partnership with Clark Development Corp. (CDC).
The two companies signed a memorandum of agreement on 12 November to continue their collaboration under CDC’s Pagsasarili initiative, which provides learning opportunities for Indigenous communities in and around the Clark Freeport Zone.
Aside from free connectivity, Converge will upgrade the satellite broadband system it previously installed at the learning centers and donate cloud personal computers to beneficiary schools.
The agreement covers five selected Pagsasarili Family Care Centers in Mabalacat City, Pampanga and Bamban, Tarlac.
Converge co-founder and chief executive Dennis Anthony Uy said access to connectivity and technology has become important to education and participation in the digital economy.
“The important thing here is how we can work together toward building a more digital society. In today’s economy, access to information, connectivity, and technology are among the most important things. Converge will continue to advocate for greater access to connectivity, technology, and quality education. Progress must include everyone,” Uy said.
The latest agreement builds on support that began in 2021, when Converge donated 60 learning tablets and nine large-format displays to selected Aeta students and learning centers.
In 2022, the company provided another 100 tablets and free internet services to two Pagsasarili centers in Mabalacat, as well as 22 tablets to students at the CDC-Bloomberry-OB Family Care Center in Bamban.
The partnership expanded in 2023 when ComClark Network and Technology Corp., Converge’s parent company, installed a very small aperture terminal satellite broadband system at an Aeta nursery school in Barangay San Vicente, Bamban, bringing internet access to an off-grid community.