By Nativia Bühler

The sound inside the Ramot social computer lab is not the whirr of brand-new machines. Instead, it is the clatter of old laptops being taken apart, rewired, and given a second life.

For several years, the ICEJ has supported a special social aid project, helping to refurbish discarded computers and place them in the hands of those who need them most. In doing so, the lab provides struggling Israeli families with access to technology, while also equipped at-risk youth with practical computer skills, all in an effort to bridge divides in Israel’s diverse communities.

Ramot, a sprawling neighbourhood in northwest Jerusalem, reflects Israel’s social divides nationwide. Middle-class families live alongside households struggling to make ends meet, and for many access to a working computer is a luxury. Thousands of Israeli schoolchildren still lack a home computer, a gap that the ICEJ’s ongoing support is helping to close, one laptop at a time.

Over the past year alone, the project has recycled around seven tons (the weight of two medium trucks) of electronic waste, redirecting it from landfills into 473 refurbished computer kits. These were donated to families, schools, and youth organisations, ensuring that more children and teens have the tools they need to learn and thrive.

Behind the statistics are remarkable personal stories that would not be possible without your support. The lab has welcomed 61 volunteers this year, among them teenagers, high school students, and young adults with disabilities. Working side-by-side to repair computer equipment and distribute laptops, many discovered new confidence and purpose.

One young woman arrived at the lab two years ago to begin her national service. She was incredibly shy, avoiding team meetings and shrinking from conversation. But the quiet routine of repairing laptops alongside others slowly brought her out of herself. Today, she greets families at the door with warmth, runs training sessions for new recruits, and is even pursuing studies in computer science – a transformation that her former self could hardly have imagined.

Another encouraging story involves a boy who had slipped through the cracks, dropping out of school with little hope of return. The lab’s technician training was his last chance. In only months, something clicked. He mastered the repairs, re-enrolled in school, completed his matriculation, and is now a staff technician himself. Soon he will enlist in a technological unit of the Israel Defense Forces, a future that seemed far beyond his reach just a few years ago.Then there is the young man with disabilities who joined through his school’s occupational program. What began as a tentative placement became a home. He stayed there for years, fixing computers, mentoring newcomers, and becoming a trusted member of the team. Now, he too is preparing to serve in the army in a technical role – a path once closed to him but now made possible through your support.

The lab’s reach goes far beyond the teenagers who crowd its benches. Across Jerusalem, Ashkelon, and other Israeli cities, needy families are now able to use working computers that would otherwise have been out of reach. For many children, these second-hand machines are their first true window into the wider world – where homework can be typed, lessons streamed, and ambitions quietly take root.

At heart, it is a simple idea: take what others discard and breathe new life into it. Yet in doing so, the lab restores more than just old laptops. It restores dignity to families who have gone without and possibilities to young people who thought doors were closed to them. Its impact is nothing short of transformative in a Jerusalem neighbourhood often fractured by social and economic divides.

As the lab team put it, with pride: “The ICEJ’s support for our youth means the world to us, but most of all to them. We hope you were able to see the lives you have touched.”

You, too, can give hope and help shape the future of Israel’s youth. Your support ensures that more young people and families can step confidently into a brighter tomorrow.