Computer Aid International

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Computer Aid International is a non-profit provider of ICTs for development (ICT4D). A registered charity, Computer Aid was founded to contribute to bridge the digital divide by providing high-quality, professionally refurbished PCs from the UK to educational and non-profit organisations in developing economies.

Founded in 1997, the charity shipped its 100,000th computer in February 2008, sending PCs to more than 100 countries. Computer Aid supplied over 22,000 refurbished computers in 2006 to hundreds of educational and community organisations all over the world from its warehouse and headquarters in North London.

Contents 1 Organisation 2 Strategy 3 Projects 4 External links

[edit] Organisation

The people behind Computer Aid are a mixture of employed staff and volunteers, including techies, fundraisers and language specialists. The organisation also has a number of programme officers based in Nairobi, and Johannesburg, who liaise with local non-profit organisations seeking affordable PCs.

[edit] Strategy

Computer Aid's ICT4D work goes beyond the provision of refurbished PCs. The charity's work extends into the areas of low power PCs; alternative power (inc. solar); adaptive technology for the blind and visually impaired; and resourcing support to programmes in the areas of e-health, e-agriculture and e-learning.

[edit] Projects

Computer Aid is currently working on a telemedicine programme in partnership with the African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF). This programme will see over 40 hospitals in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda provided with computers, as well as related ICT equipment and training. The project will allow junior doctors and nurses in remote rural areas to use the internet in order to consult with clinical specialists anywhere in the world to support diagnosis, improve treatment and healthcare delivery to rural communities.

With partners including Sightsavers International, Computer Aid has provided literally hundreds of PCs installed with adaptive technologies for the blind and partially sighted in more than 20 different countries.

In Zambia, Computer Aid has sent thousands of PCs to secondary schools through national distribution programmes supported by the national government and local NGOs. In Eritrea Computer Aid has worked to enable the British Council to provide PCs to every public library in the country. The project is now rolling out computers to every school library in Eritrea.

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.

This year, the UK alone is expected to decommission over two million Pentium IIIs and Pentium IVs as individuals, companies and the public sector upgrade their PCs.

[edit] External links

• Computer Aid International
• Article on a Computer Aid project supporting blind and visually impaired children in Kenya
• Article on a Computer Aid project helping farmers to maximise crop harvests in times of drought
• Article on ZDNet low power computing survey for Computer Aid