By Yolanda Conyers, President, Lenovo Foundation
We believe a diversity of ideas makes the world a better and more interesting place. As a business, we’ve benefitted from this diversity. The diversity of our employees- where they live, their nationality, and their unique perspectives and experiences- has helped us grow from our beginnings as a small start-up in Beijing to the global technology company we are today.
Our focus on diversity and inclusion continues today in our business and through the Lenovo Foundation. We’re formally launching the Foundation as our charitable entity and central resource for global corporate citizenship. The Foundation’s mission is focused on STEM education and empowering diverse and under resourced populations. We’ve carried this through by changing our brand from Lenovo to Love on to celebrate launch day. A subtle rearranging of letters takes us from our consumer electronics brand to an encouraging message of care.
For Lenovo, our message to Love On means using our core strengths- diversity and innovation- to benefit the world around us. Connecting underserved populations to technology and education ensures growth of diversity and ultimately helps all of humanity move forward. A technology divide means that we will never benefit from the potential contributions of communities who lack access. Consequently, the communities that lack access to the latest technology will fall further behind as services, commerce, education, and civic engagement increasingly move to AI and smart platforms. Bridging this last mile of connection is hard, but it’s necessary. While we’re in an industry that focuses on selling products, our products are only as powerful as the ideas and progress they enable.
Whether it’s digital literacy classes for senior citizens in Slovakia, technology donations in rural Africa, or students solving community problems with software applications in the U.S., the Lenovo Foundation seeks to address inequities in digital access. By breaking down barriers to opportunity and learning, we hope to unleash individuals’ potential so they can connect, learn, contribute and make a difference in the world. To celebrate our launch, the Lenovo Foundation is offering a Lenovo Love On Grant Round. Mini-grants will be available to worldwide organizations with ideas on how to increase access to technology for diverse and under resourced populations. Click here to learn more.
