Gordon Brown isn't noted for his generosity, but the Treasury can be congratulated on one way it supports good causes. Every time it upgrades its computer systems, it gives the old machines to Computer Aid, which passes them on to schools, colleges, charities and organisations in the developing world.
Computer Aid, based in north London, is the largest such organisation in the world. Founded in 1997, it has passed on 30,000 PCs to 85 countries. It plans to send out 25,000 machines next year, and 50,000 the year after.
Even so, these figures are a drop in the electronic ocean compared with the number of perfectly good PCs ditched each year.
"No one is sure of the exact numbers," says Jaf Shah, Computer Aid's marketing and fundraising manager, "but I have seen estimates that 1.5m working PCs are thrown away in Britain every year. Last year, 145m PCs were shipped around the world,and given that most major corporations upgrade their systems every two years, that means a lot of machines are being thrown out."
And yet, all over the world, lives can be transformed by being given access to a PC. One of the beneficiaries of the generosity of the Treasury and others (including British Airways, Powergen, University College London, Warner Brothers and Comic Relief) is the Computer Education Trust (CET) in Swaziland. Students in the main city, Manzini, can go through their education without touching a computer.
One student is 16-year-old Tracey Jele, who is studying at St Theresa's High School and wants to pursue a career in medicine and psychology. Without basic computer skills, though, her chances are nil, and until two years ago, the school had only two computers for its 430 pupils.
The director of CET, Sibongile Kunene, says: "Before the establishment of CET, 99% of Swaziland students left school without having seen a computer. A lack of familiarity with computer technology is as much an obstacle today as being unable to read and write was in the past. This project has had an enormous impact in a very short time, as now 50% of students graduate from the public schools computer literate."
In rural schools such as Malindza High School, the problems are even worse, but the appreciation is even greater, as head teacher Mr Mdluli says. "Computers help our students develop a number of essential skills, which are needed in the working environment, and in starting businesses. Through research, our students develop critical thinking skills."
The students are equally enthusiastic. Sithembile Tsabedze, 16, is in her last year at Malindza. "It's great because today computers are a must. You have to be computer literate. It's a prerequisite for getting a job in Swaziland." Her friend, Gabsille Lukhele, agrees. "We come into the computer lab in our spare time to practise."
For just £50,000, one-third of Swaziland's schools have been provided with IT equipment through Computer Aid, which cannot keep up with demand. "The majority of our machines," says Shah, "go to schools and universities, and organisations working in areas such as the environment, Aids research, investigating rural poverty and so on."
Applicants have to pay £39 for each PC, plus shipping costs. "That varies a lot depending on the destination and how many computers are being sent," Shah explains. "It costs £910 to ship 10 PCs to Addis Ababa, but for Cape Town it's only £690. Even so the cost is infinitely better than the £500 or so these organisations would have to pay commercially. The machines might also have to travel several hundred miles over rough terrain to get to their destination, but only 3% or 4% are dead on arrival. We always send extra machines to cover that eventuality."
To keep up with the hundreds of enquiries it receives weekly, Computer Aid recently moved to premises on Holloway Road, a former clothing factory where it can process up to 1,000 machines a week using a team of about 30 volunteers, mostly students and between-jobs IT people. It plans to out-source much of the work, and build up centres around Britain to make collection easier. There are centres in Southampton and Halifax, and a pilot scheme in Manchester.
"The main problem," says Shah, "is that some companies don't have a policy on what to do when they upgrade their systems, so the machines sit around, or get thrown into skips. But under EU regulations that are probably coming in during August 2006, it will be illegal to dispose of computers that way."
Only fully working PCs. Please telephone first. Collection facilities are only available for larger numbers of PCs. Otherwise, arrange delivery by Securicor (about £10) for a typical PC system. Volunteers to check machines always needed in London.
Tel: 020 7281 0091
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