Charity Launches Appeal for PC Monitors to Help Fight Poverty

Charity Launches Appeal for PC Monitors to Help Fight Poverty

UK registered charity Computer Aid International is calling for donations of monitors to meet demand from schools, hospitals and charities in Africa and Latin America.

The charity needs donations of over 2,500 monitors per month to satisfy demand but is only receiving 30% of this number.

David Barker, CEO of Computer Aid, says

“We are calling for all IT managers who have unwanted TFT or CRT monitors to help us meet demand from schools and hospitals in developing countries. Hundreds of schools in Chile are waiting to receive computers and, while we currently have over 4,000 refurbished base units ready and waiting to go, we don’t have the monitors to match them with.

“The shortage of monitors is a problem that looks set to continue for the foreseeable future. Most companies refresh their base units every three to four years, however results from a recent donor survey show that most people do not upgrade their monitors at the same rate and the use of longer lasting TFT and LED monitors means that screens might only be refreshed every six years. While this is definitely a good thing as it means that companies are extending the life of their IT equipment, it has resulted in a critical shortage in donated screens to Computer Aid. Consequently, we are urging any individuals or companies that have unwanted monitors to get in touch – your donation could make a huge and immediate difference to hundreds of people.”

David Barker, CEO, Computer Aid International

The need for ICT in developing countries is great. In Ethiopia, for example there are still only seven PCs per 1,000 people, while in Uganda there are 17. To date, Computer Aid has shipped over 175,000 PCs to over 100 countries to help tackle poverty and facilitate improved education and healthcare in some of the world’s poorest countries.

PC donors in the UK include Betfair, Buckingham Palace, Diageo, Virgin, Investec, Pepsico, Orange, DFID, the Pensions Regulator and WWF.

The Computer Aid International Process:

1. Donors send an overview of specifications
2. Equipment is collected and donors are issued with transfer note
3. Equipment is stored in the Computer Aid International warehouse, data is wiped to UK And US military approved standards using CESG approved Kroll Ontrack Eraser software. Donors are sent data wiping guarantee.
4. Equipment is refurbished, put into pallets and then sent (usually by ship) to partners in over 100 developing countries. All partners are checked to ensure they have the security, training and infrastructure in place to use the computers to maximum benefit.
5. All donated equipment is barcoded and asset tracked so donors know exactly where there equipment is and the projects which their donated IT is helping to enable.

Highlights:

• Free Guaranteed CESG approved Data Destruction
• WEEE Compliance
• Legal liabilities covered
• Highest standards of environmental disposal – 0% will end up in landfill
• Positive PR or CSR for your organization (Donating IT equipment is said to be more carbon efficient means of IT disposal since reusing a PC is 20 times more energy efficient than recycling.)
• 100% of donated PCs that pass our quality tests will go to not-for-profit organisations in the developing world

Visit www.computeraid.org to find out more about donating equipment.

International Options:

• Belgium – Close the Gap www.close-the-gap.org (Also collect all over Europe (central and Eastern Europe) if its for large enough quantities)
• France – Ordinateurs Sans Frontières  https://ordinateurssansfrontieres.org/1.html
• Ireland – Camara https://camara.ie/web/
• UK – Computer Aid International www.computeraid.org
• USA and Canada – World Computer Exchange https://www.worldcomputerexchange.org

Please contact me to add any other organizations to this list.