The garbage collector asked Ghina Ghaliya if she had an old, unused mobile phone. He wanted it so his kids could have access to the internet. “He said it does not matter if it is the ugly one, as long as his children can use it for learning from home,” says Ms. Ghaliya. The simple request sparked a big idea. Ms. Ghaliya started collecting old phones for students.

Ms. Ghaliya is a journalist at a national newspaper in Jakarta, Indonesia. Shortly after the pandemic hit, she and 11 other journalists organized a group to provide food and money to people in need. But parents needed more help. Their children couldn’t log in to the internet from home. Ms. Ghaliya remembered the garbage collector’s request for his kids. She began a mission to find mobile phones for others.

In just a few months, Ms. Ghaliya’s team collected more than 200 mobile phones. Cash donations helped them buy even more phones. The team even purchased prepaid internet access to go along with some of the phones.

Ms. Ghaliya and her friends are happy to help students. “We really hope the mobile phones can be used . . . during the pandemic,” she says.

Khaissyah Levi is a 16-year-old high school student in Depok, West Java. He attends online classes in the morning. He borrowed his father’s mobile phone for internet access. Now, thanks to Ms. Ghaliya, Khaissyah has his own phone.

Qayran Ruby Al Maghribi had to wait for his father to return from work as a motorcycle taxi driver. Then Qayran could use his dad’s phone. That meant Qayran’s homework was sometimes turned in late. Ms. Ghaliya’s group gave the 11-year-old a phone. “I will use the phone to do online school every day,” he says with a huge smile.

Ms. Ghaliya is a problem solver. She listened to the garbage collector. When she did, she heard about a need. The journalist worked hard to meet the need. Now hundreds of Indonesian students have better access to online school. 2 Corinthians 8:14 reminds us, “your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness.”