Regional Australia Bank has partnered with national not-for-profit charitable organisation DV Safe Phone to help get safe mobile phones into the hands of people experiencing domestic violence.
The partnership will see DV Safe Phone collection boxes placed in every branch of Regional Australia Bank, and customers and the wider community are invited to donate their old mobile phones – which will be collected, repurposed and gifted to victims of domestic violence.
“Here at Regional Australia Bank, we are passionate about supporting all regional Australians and sadly, our regional areas carry a higher rate of domestic violence than our city counterparts,” says Regional Australia Bank CEO David Heine.
“For victims of domestic violence, a working mobile phone that can be hidden at home and used to call for help in an emergency can literally be a lifeline, and we are honoured to be able to assist in facilitating the hard work done by the staff and volunteers at DV Safe Phone.”
There are more than two million known victims of domestic violence in Australia, and DV Safe Phone, which was launched in 2019 and operates nationwide, aims to get a safe mobile phone into the hands of every person who needs one.
Phones are collected at each of Regional Australia Bank’s 36 branches, repurposed and gifted to those in need through partnerships with registered domestic violence and law enforcement agencies, safe houses and councillors – who can also help with safety plans, escape plans, accommodation, food and sometimes even funds.
The partnership with DV Safe Phone is just one of the 1600 partnerships that make up Regional Australia Bank’s Community Partnerships Program, which aims to support people in need right across Regional Australia.
“Every phone matters, so if you have old phones at home that aren’t being used, both ourselves and DV Safe Phone will be extremely grateful if you would consider donating them to people experiencing domestic violence,” says Heine
“Before you donate your phone, please remember to erase the data on it and restore it to factory settings. Details on how to do this are on the DV Safe Phone website, and doing that ensures both your security and that the phone can be used in future.”
For more information about the scheme, contact Michellie Henry at Regional Australia Bank: [email protected].
