Vendor & Contract Management platform, Gatekeeper, has always been immensely proud to support SOS Children’s Villages’ ‘Digital Villages’ initiative, which aims at integrating technology into children’s and families’ everyday lives.
Moving forward, Gatekeeper will take up its role as an SOS Children’s Villages ‘Digital Ambassador’, supporting the continued expansion and increased impact of the Digital Villages programme around the world.
Through a £5,000 donation and the money raised through its participation in the Three Peaks Challenge, Gatekeeper is supporting SOS Children’s Villages to set up a Digital Village in Bo, Sierra Leone.
This enables procurement and setup of desktop computers and accessories, as well as providing a dedicated internet connection and delivering suitable computer training to meet the needs of the children and young people.
This welcoming modern digital hub will serve the whole community.
Patrick O’Connor, CEO, Gatekeeper, said: “As CEO of Gatekeeper, I’m thrilled to announce our role as a Digital Ambassador with SOS Children’s Villages. Our support in establishing a Digital Village in Bo, Sierra Leone, is a critical step toward digital equity and empowerment.
“By providing essential technology access and training, we’re not just investing in hardware; we’re unlocking potential and opening doors to opportunity for the youth and the broader community.
"In a world where digital skills are increasingly vital, our efforts in Sierra Leone—and our commitment to expanding these initiatives globally—are more than just contributions. They're catalysts for change, aimed at bridging the digital divide and fostering a future where everyone has the chance to thrive in the digital age.
“We’re excited to partner with SOS Children’s Villages on this transformative journey, creating lasting impact and driving forward our shared vision of a connected and inclusive world.”
About Digital Villages
In 2018, SOS Children’s Villages launched the Digital Villages programme, as part of our 2030 Strategy, to empower young people with access to technology and the skills training to harness it effectively.
Six years later, we’ve fully developed the Digital Villages model in 60 countries and have reached more than 40,000 children, young people, carers, and their communities.
According to UNICEF, around 29% of youth worldwide – approximately 346 million young people – are not online. In Africa, 60% of youth are not connected, compared to only 4% in Europe. This divide is not merely a matter of technology, it’s a matter of equity and opportunity.
The consequences are more profound among SOS Children’s Villages’ programme participants, many of whom have limited or no access to technology. The children and young people in the programmes, as well as their carers, have often had no opportunity to gain basic digital skills, putting them at a disadvantage compared to their peers.
With the appropriate digital skills training, children and young people have the opportunity to enhance their learning, catch up with their peers, and increase their chances of employment in competitive markets where ICT skills are increasingly essential.
SOS Children’s Villages is committed to providing equal opportunities to our programme participants, and Digital Villages are no exception. In this way, the Digital Villages programme is closely aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
SOS Children’s Villages is scaling up our thriving network and by 2025 wants to see Digital Villages in all 130+ countries we works in.
About Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper is a Vendor & Contract Management (VCLM) platform that helps customers manage their contracts and vendors through their full lifecycle.
By centralising all contract and vendor information into Gatekeeper, customers benefit from clear visibility of their contract and vendor data; time savings with the ability to securely delegate access to relevant internal and external information; advanced automation tools which can be used for simple tasks such as timely renewal reminders right through to complex, fully digitised business processes; enhanced compliance and significant resource savings as a result of deploying Gatekeeper’s AI and automation tools.
