#ionline: Nationwide Digital Literacy Training for Older Adults

Starting from a UNDP-backed pilot for 80+ seniors in the Homiel (Gomel) region in April 2020, telecom operator A1 Belarus and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) formalised a joint digital-literacy programme on 25 June 2021 aimed at Belarus's pensioners: national surveys cited by the partners found 60% of Belarusian pensioners had never used a gadget or the internet.

The programme produced a plain-language "Smartphone is easy!" guidebook (available in print at A1 stores and online, with a version adapted for people with disabilities), and trained social workers so they could teach mobile-technology basics to their clients using the guide. A1 also stood up a corporate volunteer network, #ionline, in which company employees deliver hybrid (live and recorded) classes covering practical smartphone use and the ethics of working with older people.

Training launched in Minsk and Vitebsk on 30 July 2021 and, per A1's own announcement, was rolled out to the remaining four regions — Mogilev, Brest, Gomel and Grodno — completing national coverage of all six Belarusian regions within 2021. A1 additionally offered a subsidised Lenovo Tab M10 tablet at its stores to support newly-trained users.

Context and caveats: despite three corroborating sources (UNFPA, A1, and the earlier EU/UNDP-backed Homiel pilot), none discloses the number of seniors or social workers actually trained, session counts, or funding levels, and no independent evaluation of learning outcomes was found. No source confirms the programme continued past its 2021 regional rollout. It is documented here as a well-sourced example of a telecom-NGO training-of-trainers model, not as a proven-impact case.

Read the full analysis: https://belarus.unfpa.org/en/news/unfpa-and-a1-belarus-launched-new-joint-digital-literacy-program-older-people