Jobs That Change Lives

Digital Divide Data (DDD) helps young adults in Cambodia, Kenya, and Laos launch their careers through a combination of technical training and paid IT work for international clients. For its 25th anniversary, DDD partnered with Solutions Insights Lab to capture its journey.

With the help of highly skilled local journalists from the global Solutions Journalism Network, we conducted more than 50 interviews in four languages with alumni, staff, and leadership, including in-person focus groups in each of the countries where DDD operates. From these interviews we distilled key insights about DDD’s evolution, how it has adapted its business model, the career trajectories of its alumni, and the ripple effects of its work-study programs. We also created a series of short documentary videos about DDD’s work.

DDD began as a modest typing and data-entry enterprise and has evolved into a global social business training youth to work with cutting-edge technologies while cultivating confidence, leadership, and purpose. Alumni describe DDD as a stepping stone from poverty to self-sufficiency, enabling them to support families, start businesses, and give back to their communities.

We found that DDD’s impact extends beyond individuals, shaping local tech industries, advancing inclusive employment models, and offering lessons on how to balance social mission with business sustainability in a fast-changing digital economy.