STEP 1
Donated
A business or supporter gives an unwanted phone
The Reconnect Project
A phone can change everything
A safe, refurbished phone, given to someone leaving abuse behind. It sounds like a small thing. It really isn’t.
It’s more than a phone. It’s a lifeline.
Reconnect.Rebuild.
Rise.Empowered Insights
Why phones matter
Leaving often means losing connection
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When you leave, you often leave your phone behind. Or you keep one your abuser can still see and control. Either way, you’re cut off, just when you need help the most. A safe, wiped-clean phone gives that connection back.
We work with refuges, outreach teams, local authorities and donors to collect phones. Every device is securely erased and restored by our technology partner, Sustainable Tech 4 Good, before reaching a survivor through trusted support organisations.
The need
Why Reconnect exists
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Domestic abuse is not rare, and it is not somebody else’s problem. It happens in every community, on every street, to people of every age and background. The numbers are hard to read. Behind every one of them is a person trying to stay safe.
1 in 4women in England and Wales will experience domestic abuse in their lifetime
2.4mwomen and men are estimated to experience domestic abuse each year, around 1.7 million of them women
5 dayson average, a woman is killed by a current or former partner every five days in England and Wales
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Technology has become part of the abuse
Abusers increasingly use phones, GPS tracking, shared accounts, spyware and smart devices to monitor and control. The UK Parliament recognises technology-facilitated abuse as part of coercive control, and SafeLives highlights that a phone can be a lifeline and a risk at the same time, if the device has been compromised. That’s why every Reconnect phone is wiped, reset and safe by design.
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Demand keeps rising
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner reports that demand for specialist support continues to outstrip what services can provide, and charities such as Refuge are seeing more survivors affected by technology-facilitated abuse, with cases growing in complexity. More people need safe technology, not fewer.
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Leaving often means losing everything
When someone leaves an abusive relationship, they often leave with minutes to pack. The phone stays behind, or worse, it comes along still watched by the person they fled. With it go their contacts, their banking, their photos, their NHS login, their children’s school messages. Even the simplest everyday task suddenly has a wall around it.
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One phone unlocks all of this
Calling their children. Seeing a GP. Applying for Universal Credit. Searching for work. Speaking to a solicitor or an Independent Domestic Violence Adviser. Online counselling. School updates. Safe banking. One refurbished phone, wiped clean and safe, opens every one of those doors at once.
And because one phone does so much, Reconnect is more than a domestic abuse project. It is digital inclusion, community safety, a route back to work, a way out of isolation and poverty, and a second life for a device that would otherwise be waste. That is the need. What follows is our answer.
Sources: Office for National Statistics, UK Parliament, SafeLives, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and Refuge.
What Reconnect provides
Safety, connection, access & independence
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Safety
A phone that’s properly wiped and set up with safety in mind.
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Connection
A way to reach support workers, family and friends again.
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Access
Appointments, benefits, services and emergency help, back within reach.
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Independence
A starting point for work, study and a life of your own.
What we accept
Donate a device. Change a life.
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Mobile phones
Smartphones of any make or model, in working order.
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Accessories
Chargers, cables and SIM tools.
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Tablets
iPads and Android tablets, in working order.
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Headphones
New or used, in good condition.
Please remove your SIM and personal data. Devices are securely wiped and handled in line with GDPR. We’re unable to accept damaged devices.
Your donation, their new beginning
How it works
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STEP 2
Securely restored
Wiped, de-tracked, tested and factory reset
STEP 3
Sponsored
SIM, credit, charger and case added by sponsors
STEP 4
Packed with care
Gift-boxed with a personal message of hope
STEP 5
Delivered via refuge
Refuge managers gift it to whoever needs it
STEP 6
A new beginning
Family, work, benefits, housing: reconnected
Partner with us
Two ways to make an impact
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Corporate partners
Turn your old or end-of-life work phones into a fresh start for someone. We wipe everything securely to GDPR standards and give you impact reporting to share with your team.
Become a corporate partner →🏠
Refuge & outreach partners
We work with refuges and outreach teams to get safe phones to the survivors you support and we track the difference it makes, together.
Become a refuge partner →“
Access to a phone changed everything. It gave me back my voice, my connection and my future.
SURVIVOR SUPPORTED THROUGH RECONNECTCommon questions
Good to know
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Who can receive a phone through the Reconnect Project?
Survivors of domestic abuse who are referred through recognised support organisations, refuges and outreach services.
What devices can I donate?
Working mobile phones and tablets of any make or model, plus chargers, cables, SIM tools and headphones in good condition. We can’t accept damaged devices.
Is my data wiped from a donated device?
Yes. Every device is factory reset and securely wiped in line with GDPR before it’s passed on. Please remove your SIM and personal data where you can.
How do I donate a device?
Get in touch to arrange drop-off or collection. See the Donate page for details.
Small support. Big impact. Brighter future.
Donate a phone, sponsor the project, or partner with us. Every single device counts.