Educational Material Exposes the War Concealed in Our Electronic Devices

(By Boshra Yazahmeidi)

Teachers of primary and secondary school as well as adult education programs now have access to engaging content, exercises, and activities that raise student awareness of the origins of the products they consume.

The main products under focus in these educational materials are mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

What many don’t know is that these same devices that have become so intertwined with our every breathing moment are completely dependent on minerals that are fuelling the war in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  This war forced one million people to flee their homes in 2013 alone and 100,000 women are raped each year.

The educational material, therefore, is helping both existing and future users of these technologies to appreciate the extraction – manufacturing – marketing – recycling journey of electronic devices and to become more responsible consumers of these products.

These educational tools are just one product of the Conflict Free Technology campaign initiated by the Jesuit NGO, ALBOAN.

You can access these educational materials and learn more about the campaign from the Conflict Free Technology website.

You can also watch the ALBOAN video “What your mobile phone hides” for more information.