Asia-Pacific Sustainability Action Awards-Sustainability Action Awards SDG04:Gold
National Formosa University
Digital Inclusion, No One Left Behind: Aging Rural Changhua-Yunlin-Chiayi
Facing aging populations, rural resource gaps, and uneven digital skills, this university-led project accompanies 16 Digital Opportunity Centers (DOCs) across Changhua, Yunlin, and Chiayi to build a rural digital inclusion ecosystem under the vision "Digital Inclusion, Local Prosperity." Using digital access as a gateway, it strengthens elders' autonomy, health participation, information access, and local identity. Through site mentoring, mobile consulting, volunteer empowerment, shared materials, and digital co-creation, the team delivered 660 course hours, reached 1,364 people in digital literacy, trained 84 community "digital helpers," and extended services to 18 non-DOC sites. The "DOC Zaagana Cup 6.0" merged online communities with physical walking, engaging 285 learners over 14,772 km, with 163 elders completing 28 consecutive days of 3K. Sixteen local cultural digital works preserved community memory and identity, and over 35 cross-sector partners formed a sustainable inclusion network. Responding to SDG 4, 10, and 11, the project offers a replicable, scalable model that ensures no one in aging rural communities is left behind in the digital age.