SOS Children’s Villages: In a significant step towards promoting digital education and bridging the technology gap among underprivileged communities, SOS Children’s Villages India inaugurated its second Mobile Digital Learning Centre (MDLC) in New Delhi. Launched in partnership with Informa Exhibitions ahead of National Education Day, the initiative will bring free computer education and digital skills training directly to children, young people and women living in economically weaker neighbourhoods.
The newly launched mobile centre is designed as a fully equipped learning facility on wheels, featuring desktop computers and a projector screen. The blue learning bus will travel to underserved localities, allowing children and young people to access digital education without having to travel long distances or bear additional costs. The initiative is currently operational across three cities Delhi, Pune and Raipur and has already reached 804 beneficiaries, including 152 children. With the inauguration of its second mobile centre in Delhi, SOS Children’s Villages India aims to reach more than 800 additional beneficiaries in the capital over the coming year.
Delhi’s Digital Divide Highlights Need for Mobile Learning Centres
The launch comes at a time when access to digital education remains a major challenge for children and young people from economically disadvantaged communities. According to data cited by the organisation, Delhi is home to nearly 60,000 street children, with a significant number living in North and Northwest Delhi. The region has approximately three lakh slum households spread across 675 clusters. The organisation also highlighted that 45% of government school students in the area do not have access to smartphones or a stable internet connection. Furthermore, nearly 77% of young people in Northwest Delhi reportedly had no previous exposure to digital literacy.
These gaps can affect children’s education, access to online learning opportunities and future employment prospects. The new mobile digital learning centre aims to address these challenges by taking technology and practical training directly to communities that need it the most. Sumanta Kar, CEO of SOS Children’s Villages India, said digital inclusion has become essential for education, employability and social mobility. However, children and young people in underserved communities continue to face difficulties accessing technology and digital learning opportunities.
He said the organisation’s mobile learning centres are designed to bring technology directly into neighbourhoods so that economic circumstances and geographical barriers do not prevent children from learning. The second centre in Delhi is another step towards helping children, youth and women develop the skills and confidence required to participate in an increasingly digital world.
SOS Children’s Villages: Five Key Areas of Digital and Life Skills Training
The Mobile Digital Learning Centre focuses on five major areas of learning: digital literacy, cyber safety, financial literacy, life skills and certified assessments. Besides teaching basic computer skills, the programme aims to help beneficiaries understand online safety, access digital services, improve their financial awareness and develop skills that can support future employment.
The initiative has already reported encouraging results. During its first year, five beneficiaries secured job placements, while eight children were re-enrolled in schools. The programme also facilitated 28 connections to scholarships and government schemes, along with 32 linkages to higher education opportunities. Sumanta Kar emphasised that bringing education directly to children’s neighbourhoods can remove barriers such as distance, cost and accessibility. He added that every child deserves an equal opportunity to learn and build a better future.
SOS Children’s Villages: India Expands Digital Education Network Across India
The Mobile Digital Learning Centre is part of SOS Children’s Villages India’s larger digital education and vocational training network, which operates across seven states and eight cities. The organisation runs three types of learning programmes to support children and young people across different age groups. Mobile Digital Learning Centres operate through customised buses that travel to slum settlements and remote communities. Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) provide structured digital and vocational skill development for young people aged 18 to 27. Meanwhile, after-school VTCs function as school-based digital learning centres for students aged 14 to 17.
These programmes focus on improving academic performance, encouraging self-learning, developing digital employability skills, promoting financial inclusion and creating awareness about cyber safety. They also help beneficiaries access government services, welfare schemes and online educational opportunities. According to the organisation, around 2,610 young people participate in these vocational and digital learning programmes annually. Through this expanding network, SOS Children’s Villages India aims to make digital education more accessible and help reduce digital illiteracy across the country.
About SOS Children’s Villages India
Established in 1964, SOS Children’s Villages India works to support children without parental care and those at risk of losing parental care. The organisation provides comprehensive childcare and development services through programmes such as Family Like Care, Family Strengthening, Kinship Care, Foster Care, Youth Skilling, Emergency Childcare and Special Needs Childcare. Today, more than 5,000 children live in over 440 family homes across 32 SOS Children’s Villages in 22 states and Union Territories. The organisation also supports vulnerable families in becoming financially independent and creating safe environments for children.
SOS Children’s Villages India has reported empowering more than 45,000 children annually and positively impacting over 70,000 lives. The launch of the second Mobile Digital Learning Centre in Delhi is another effort to ensure that children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are not left behind in India’s growing digital economy.
