140 desktop computers from Slovnaft and Datapac will help Centres for Children and Families and families in need with distance learning

Bratislava, 18 December 2020 – Families in need and Centres for Children and Families (former children’s homes) will be assisted with distance learning by 140 fully-equipped desktop computers from Slovnaft and Datapac. The companies donated the computers to the non-profit organisation, The Gift of a Smile, who will distribute them.

The coronavirus pandemic has also greatly affected the lives of children, who have difficulty with accessing education due to the extensive measures. Particularly students at primary and secondary schools from children’s homes and families on the verge of poverty. A joint project of the companies Slovnaft and Datapac and the non-profit organisation, The Gift of a Smile, has provided assistance to these disadvantage children.

“The educational development of young people is one of our long-term goals. Therefore, we did not hesitate in this situation to take the opportunity to help disadvantaged families and children. We are glad to be able to contribute our computers and mitigate the impact of the pandemic in this way. We believe that the desktop computers will help the children continue with successful study,” said Melinda Menyhart, Manager of the Department of Retail Information Systems and Innovation at SLOVNAFT, a.s.

Slovnaft donated 140 used desktop computers. Datapac employees upgraded them and installed the necessary software and will provide technical support for distance learning applications.

 “During the first wave we helped schools with free technical support to implement an e-learning platform. After our recent meeting with The Gift of a Smile, we understood where we can continue to add value and where the state is failing. We decide to contact our long-term partner Slovnaft and together help children who, due to their difficult life situations, are at risk of a long-term absence from the learning process,” said Juraj Saktor, Datapac director.

“The Gift of a Smile greatly values ​​this help and support, especially in these difficult times. We will donate more than half of the computers to children and young adults at the Centres for Children and Families. There are 90 centres in Slovakia, in which almost 5,000 children and young adults currently live. We decided to do it this way, because there are many separate groups at the centres, where students undertake distance learning and often there can be up to eight students on one computer. Some computers will also go to Community Centres, where our professionals teach children from socially disadvantaged families and undertake various community activities with them. In each region, we will also donate computers to socially disadvantaged families, who lack money to provide basic living needs, and can only dream about having a computer. Their children go to learn either at our community centres or at their neighbours, in many cases they are also helped by classmates,” said Mária Soboličová, manager for fundraising and PR of The Gift of a Smile.

About the SLOVNAFT group

The SLOVNAFT Group is an integrated refinery and petrochemical group. The company is a leader in Slovakia in CSR and corporate philanthropy. During the coronavirus pandemic, Slovnaft continues to support the development of sports, culture and environmental protection in Slovakia. It has also intensified assistance to healthcare by donating pulmonary ventilators and disinfectant, so healthcare facilities can effectively manage the spread of infection.

About Datapac s.r.o.

Since its establishment in 1995, Datapac has provided information systems development services for retail customers. The Posybe system is one of the top retail information systems for petrol station networks in Europe. Datapac operates mainly on the Slovak, Czech and Hungarian markets. In addition to software development, it is also engaged in service activities and provides analytical services, especially operational reporting, advanced analytics, speech-to-text technology and text analytics.

About the association of friends of children from children’s homes – The Gift of a Smile

For 38 years, The Gift of a Smile has been ensuring that children can grow up safely in families, ideally their own. It undertakes field social work, strengthens the systematic self-help of large families, prepares and accompanies surrogate parents, builds centres for family renewal and emergency housing, and halfway houses for young people without family care, provides abandoned children with supportive relationships, meets their needs as regards leisure and personal development, creates networks of experts and participates in the creation of legislative standards. A full and harmonious childhood within a family is of irreplaceable value for every child and for society as a whole. This deserves our protection, and children whose own parents cannot provide this deserve our support. The programs of The Gift of a Smile were created and continue in order to support children and their families in the long run.

For further information, please contact:
Jozef Svetkovský
Marketing Specialist, Datapac s.r.o.
tel.: +421 905 863 261
jozef.svetkovsky@datapac.sk

Anton Molnár
Communication Director and Spokesman of SLOVNAFT, a.s.
tel: +421 905 393 161
anton.molnar@slovnaft.sk

Mária Soboličová, PhD.
Fundraising and PR Manager
tel: +421 2 638 15 208
sobolicova@usmev.sk