Computer Aid International
Encyclopedia
Computer Aid International is a not-for-profit organisation active in the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development
. A registered charity, Computer Aid was founded in 1998 to bridge the digital divide
by providing refurbished PCs from the UK
to educational and non-profit organisations in developing countries
.
Computer Aid has provided over 175,000 refurbished computers to educational institutions and not-for-profit organisations in more than 100 different countries to date.
Computer Aid shipped its 100,000th computer in February 2008, sending PCs to more than 100 countries from its workshop and offices in North London
.
Computer Aid has offices in London and Nairobi,Kenya with a team of 25 staff and 50 volunteers composed of techies, development professionals, geeks, fundraisers
and linguists. At the Africa HQ in Nairobi Computer Aid has a number of Programme Officers who work with educational institutions
and local non-profit organisations throughout Africa supporting the application of ICT for Development.
Computer Aid has a Board of Trustees that meet bi-monthly to provide strategic direction and fiduciary oversight.
Professor Denis Goldberg
is Computer Aid's Honorary Patron.
project in partnership with African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF). This project has equipped over 40 rural hospitals in Kenya
, Tanzania
and Uganda
with digital cameras, computer
s, printers and scanners and provides training and technical support. The project enables doctors and nurses in remote rural areas
to access specialist clinical support diagnosis
improving healthcare in rural communities.
Computer Aid, in partnership with Sightsavers International, has provided PCs installed with [adaptive technologies] for the blind and partially sighted in more than 20 different countries.
In Cameroon
, Computer Aid is working with several not-for-profit organisations to provide PCs in secondary schools and community based organizations. These include organizations like the British Council and Education Information Services International (EISERVI).
In Rwanda
, Computer Aid has worked with the Kigali Institute of Education, The Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA) in providing PCs to schools, health centers and tele centers country wide.
In Burundi
, Computer Aid is working with La Fondation Buntu to provide PCs to widows and orphans who were victims of the war. Computer Aid PCs are currently being used in various secondary schools in Burundi, both in Bujumbura and in the provinces.
In Zambia
, Computer Aid has sent PCs to secondary schools through national distribution programmes supported by the national government and local NGOs.
In Zimbabwe
, Computer Aid has sent PCs to universities, tertiary institutions and the national consortium of libraries. Computer Aid is also working to establish relationships with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working to promote development in Zimbabwe.
In Malawi
, Computer Aid enjoys a strong partnership with the Council for Non Governmental Organizations in Malawi (CONGOMA)
and has partnered with CONGOMA to send over 5,000 PCs to various NGOs, schools and universities in Malawi.
Computer Aid has also sent PCs to Swaziland
, South Africa
, Namibia
, Lesotho
, and Botswana
.
In Eritrea
Computer Aid is working with the British Council
to provide PCs in public and school libraries.
Ethiopia
as a land-locked country has also not been left behind. Computer Aid works with not-for-profit organisations, such as [Information Technology Development Association (ITDA)], Ethiopia Knowledge and Technology Transfer Society (EKTTS), Christian Relief Development Association (CRDA). Over 6,000 PCs have been provided to Ethiopian schools, tertiary institutions and other not-for-profit organisations.
In Liberia
, Computer Aid is working with Stella Maris Polytechnic
to provide computers to institutions of higher learning and NGOs.
Computer Aid not only provide computers to organisations in Africa but also in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. To give a few examples; in Colombia
Computer Aid works with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to help internally displaced children receive an education. In Ecuador
several hundred computers were donated to Fair Trade
Banana Producers to improve the day to day running of the fair trade banana enterprise and its trade unions. In Venezuela
Computer Aid provided PCs to an indigenous solar powered school in the middle of the Amazonian jungle.
Power supply problems in rural areas of developing countries make it sensible to use the most power-efficient options.
Computer Aid has asked ZDNET
to survey the available choices for low-power computing. The initial survey has been
completed and field testing will now be carried out in three countries in Africa.
Computer Aid International has also developed a portable solar-powered cyber café to offer a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution to getting rural communities online. The solar-powered cyber café can be shipped as a complete sea container and contains a fully functional cyber café, comprising a thin client network of eight monitors running off a standard P4 acting as a server. Solar panels are fitted to power the container and a thin client network was adopted because solar panels are prohibitively expensive if using standard desktops. The idea was developed in conjunction with Computer Aid partners in Zambia who have already used the containers to reduce the cost of internet and power access by sharing connectivity and harnessing the sun’s rays.
Information and Communication Technologies for Development
Information and Communication Technologies for Development is a general term referring to the application of Information and Communication Technologies within the fields of socioeconomic development, international development and human rights...
. A registered charity, Computer Aid was founded in 1998 to bridge the digital divide
Digital divide
The Digital Divide refers to inequalities between individuals, households, business, and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels in access to information and communication technologies and Internet connectivity and in the knowledge and skills needed to effectively use the information...
by providing refurbished PCs from the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to educational and non-profit organisations in developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
.
Computer Aid has provided over 175,000 refurbished computers to educational institutions and not-for-profit organisations in more than 100 different countries to date.
Computer Aid shipped its 100,000th computer in February 2008, sending PCs to more than 100 countries from its workshop and offices in North London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Organisation
Computer Aid International is an non-governmental organisation registered with the Charity Commission of England & Wales (registration number: 1069256) and is a not-for-profit social business with the registration number 3442679 Companies House.Computer Aid has offices in London and Nairobi,Kenya with a team of 25 staff and 50 volunteers composed of techies, development professionals, geeks, fundraisers
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
and linguists. At the Africa HQ in Nairobi Computer Aid has a number of Programme Officers who work with educational institutions
and local non-profit organisations throughout Africa supporting the application of ICT for Development.
Computer Aid has a Board of Trustees that meet bi-monthly to provide strategic direction and fiduciary oversight.
Professor Denis Goldberg
Denis Goldberg
Denis Goldberg is a South African social campaigner, who was active in the struggle against apartheid and was imprisoned along with other key members of the anti-apartheid movement....
is Computer Aid's Honorary Patron.
Strategy
Computer Aid offers a decommissioning service to UK companies, government departments and universities that are upgrading their computer systems - donated PCs are data-wiped, refurbished and tested. Non profit organisations in the developing world can apply for refurbished computers and are charged a handling fee of £42 plus shipping.UK IT Donors
Computer Aid offers a service to UK companies and organisations replacing their hardware. The charity provides end-of life IT asset management services, which include data removal, computer refurbishment, reuse, and recycling. Donating IT equipment to Computer Aid is in compliance with UK legislation, including the WEEE Directive, Data Protection Act and Environment Act. Computer Aid donors include Dfid, Sainsbury's, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Orange, Virgin, Betfair, Pepsico, Investec, WWF, Christian Aid, BBC Worldwide and Ofcom.Projects
Computer Aid supports a telemedicineTelemedicine
Telemedicine is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities...
project in partnership with African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF). This project has equipped over 40 rural hospitals in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
with digital cameras, computer
Computer
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
s, printers and scanners and provides training and technical support. The project enables doctors and nurses in remote rural areas
to access specialist clinical support diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is the identification of the nature and cause of anything. Diagnosis is used in many different disciplines with variations in the use of logics, analytics, and experience to determine the cause and effect relationships...
improving healthcare in rural communities.
Computer Aid, in partnership with Sightsavers International, has provided PCs installed with [adaptive technologies] for the blind and partially sighted in more than 20 different countries.
In Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Computer Aid is working with several not-for-profit organisations to provide PCs in secondary schools and community based organizations. These include organizations like the British Council and Education Information Services International (EISERVI).
In Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Computer Aid has worked with the Kigali Institute of Education, The Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Information Technology Authority (RITA) in providing PCs to schools, health centers and tele centers country wide.
In Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
, Computer Aid is working with La Fondation Buntu to provide PCs to widows and orphans who were victims of the war. Computer Aid PCs are currently being used in various secondary schools in Burundi, both in Bujumbura and in the provinces.
In Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, Computer Aid has sent PCs to secondary schools through national distribution programmes supported by the national government and local NGOs.
In Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
, Computer Aid has sent PCs to universities, tertiary institutions and the national consortium of libraries. Computer Aid is also working to establish relationships with Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working to promote development in Zimbabwe.
In Malawi
Malawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
, Computer Aid enjoys a strong partnership with the Council for Non Governmental Organizations in Malawi (CONGOMA)
and has partnered with CONGOMA to send over 5,000 PCs to various NGOs, schools and universities in Malawi.
Computer Aid has also sent PCs to Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, Lesotho
Lesotho
Lesotho , officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a landlocked country and enclave, surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is just over in size with a population of approximately 2,067,000. Its capital and largest city is Maseru. Lesotho is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The name...
, and Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
.
In Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
Computer Aid is working with the British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
to provide PCs in public and school libraries.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
as a land-locked country has also not been left behind. Computer Aid works with not-for-profit organisations, such as [Information Technology Development Association (ITDA)], Ethiopia Knowledge and Technology Transfer Society (EKTTS), Christian Relief Development Association (CRDA). Over 6,000 PCs have been provided to Ethiopian schools, tertiary institutions and other not-for-profit organisations.
In Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Computer Aid is working with Stella Maris Polytechnic
Stella Maris Polytechnic
Stella Maris Polytechnic is a post-secondary, private institution of higher learning in Monrovia in the West African nation of Liberia. Founded in 1988, the school is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia. Located on Capitol Hill, the school has approximately 2,000...
to provide computers to institutions of higher learning and NGOs.
Computer Aid not only provide computers to organisations in Africa but also in Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America. To give a few examples; in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
Computer Aid works with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) to help internally displaced children receive an education. In Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
several hundred computers were donated to Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
Banana Producers to improve the day to day running of the fair trade banana enterprise and its trade unions. In Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
Computer Aid provided PCs to an indigenous solar powered school in the middle of the Amazonian jungle.
Power supply problems in rural areas of developing countries make it sensible to use the most power-efficient options.
Computer Aid has asked ZDNET
ZDNet
ZDNet is a business technology news website published by CBS Interactive, along with TechRepublic and SmartPlanet. The brand was founded on April 1, 1991 as a general interest technology portal from Ziff Davis and evolved into an enterprise IT-focused online publication owned by CNET...
to survey the available choices for low-power computing. The initial survey has been
completed and field testing will now be carried out in three countries in Africa.
Computer Aid International has also developed a portable solar-powered cyber café to offer a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable solution to getting rural communities online. The solar-powered cyber café can be shipped as a complete sea container and contains a fully functional cyber café, comprising a thin client network of eight monitors running off a standard P4 acting as a server. Solar panels are fitted to power the container and a thin client network was adopted because solar panels are prohibitively expensive if using standard desktops. The idea was developed in conjunction with Computer Aid partners in Zambia who have already used the containers to reduce the cost of internet and power access by sharing connectivity and harnessing the sun’s rays.