IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
1. InterConnection Computer Center Changing Lives 2. Paraguayan Children Get Connected to Sponsors 3. Quality Refurbished Computers for Communities 4. Upcoming Ecycle Events 5. Computer Donations Showcase 6. Website Donation Showcase 7. Special Thanks
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1. INTERCONNECTION COMPUTER CENTER CHANGING LIVES
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The InterConnection Computer Reuse and Learning Center continues to help low income people in Seattle get free computers and provide quality, refurbished computers to non profits abroad. A few weeks ago a new volunteer mentioned he heard about the program from a friend he met at a homeless shelter. He said his friend volunteered at the IC Center and received a computer after putting in a few hours. His friend spent time drinking and doing drugs. But, once he received his computer he was, ”On his computer all the time and has stopped hanging out and doing drugs.” Other computer recipients have used their computers to get online and find jobs that are only listed by online sources. A volunteer listed his experience at IC’s Computer Center on his resume which helped him get a job at Adobe with their information services department.
The following is a summary of how many new people volunteered at the IC Center, how many people completed the computer hardware skills program and the total hours put in by volunteers.
September 2005, 25 new volunteers, 11 computers earned, 545 volunteer hours October 2005, 29 new volunteers, 14 computers earned, 746 volunteer hours November 2005, 16 new volunteers, 6 computers earned, 369 volunteer hours December 2005, 14 new volunteers, 8 computers earned, 401 volunteer hours January 2006, 39 new volunteers, 19 computers earned, 1112 volunteer hours February 2006, 25 new volunteers, 11 computers earned, 544 volunteer hours
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2. PARAGUAYAN CHILDREN GET CONNECTED TO SPONSORS
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I don’t often have a chance to see the impact of the computers refurbished by InterConnection’s volunteers. Most computers are provided to organizations abroad and costs make it difficult to see, first hand, how the computers help underserved communities. Last December I had a chance to travel to Paraguay and visit some of the non profits that received InterConnection’s refurbished computers.
My first visit was to a small non profit called Community Support for Family and Children (ACFI). They provide education and nutrition programs to children who live in the “Chacarita”. The Chacarita is a large slum located in downtown Asuncion.
Most children at ACFI are sponsored by individuals in Canada who send funds once a month to pay for food and books. Five of the computers refurbished from the InterConnection Computer Reuse Center were donated to ACFI so children could use computers to write thank you letters and email for their sponsors telling them about their lives. Along with writing letters, computers are used for technology skills classes and by ACFI staff for office administration.
I also visited one of Paraguay’s largest non profits, Dequeni. An additional 20 computers were donated by InterConnection to Dequeni. They are using the computers for a technology skills program that will help children as young as 14 and adults to gain computer skills for job placement.
Other visits were to Natural Land Trust and Peace Corps Paraguay. Natural Land Trust received two computers for creating conservation easement maps and Peace Corps volunteers will donate the computers to various schools and non profits.
All these donations were facilitated by our representative in Paraguay, Shay Kohan. He has done an incredible job at finding needy non profits and making sure they receive needed computers.
- Charles Brennick, Director InterConnection
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3. QUALITY REFURBISHED COMPUTERS FOR COMMUNITIES
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As part of our mission to help underserved communities around the world get online, we provide them with reliable, refurbished computers that are Internet ready and configured specifically for non profits, schools, telecenters and community organizations. We recently added some new services to this program that we’d like to let you know about:
SELECT WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE: Our unique inventory tracking system is set up and we can now show all available computers on our website. Organizations can select the most appropriate computers for their programs. Go to: http://computers.interconnection.org/inventory
WINDOWS IN YOUR LANGUAGE. We can install licensed Windows 2000 Pro in Spanish, English, Portuguese or French.
5% EXTRA FOR FREE. We carefully pack shipments to be sure that they arrive safely. Because we want our customers to be happy, we include 5% extra for orders over 50 units at no charge to pre-compensate in the event of any computer or monitor being damaged in transit.
InterConnection has supplied over 4,000 refurbished computers to organizations around the world. We have the capacity to carry out small and large, container size, shipments.
To learn more about the program, including restrictions and costs, visit the website http://computers.interconnection.org/nonprofits.htm or email info@interconnection.org
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4. UPCOMING ECYCLE EVENTS
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Several Ecycle Events are coming soon. Help us get the word out to the community so that their old computers, monitors, TVs and other electronic equipment can be properly rebuilt and reused or properly recycled.
April 20, 2006 - Earth Corps Ecycle at the InterConnection Computer Reuse and Learning Center
May 27, 2006 - Ballard High Ecycle at Ballard High School
June 3, 2006 - San Juan County Ecycle, probably at the County Fairgrounds
Event details will be posted at http://computers.interconnection.org
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5. COMPUTER DONATIONS SHOWCASE
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81 Computers to Non Profits in South Africa, April 2006:
Computers will be provided to SOS Children’s Home Pietermaritzburg, SOS Children’s Home Cape Town, Tokologo Centre for the Disabled, Philani Community Development Centre, and Emndeni Digital Village. The mission of these organizations is to provide access and training to their constituents providing them with an opportunity to be economically self sufficient.
Microsoft Sponsored Donation
55 Computers to Siaya District of Nyanza Province Community Technology Learning Centers, Kenya, March 2006:
Computers will enhance livelihoods of the community of Siaya District of Nyanza Province through ICT training. The project will create 8 Community Technology Learning Centres to benefit 12000 community members in the next three years in the areas of: Health and Youth and women empowerment/ employment programs. Donated computers will be used as part of equipment in the 8 local training centers (Unlimited Potential training program). Project users are mostly children, youth, parents and unemployed persons.
Microsoft Sponsored Donation
38 Computers to Center for Lifelong Learning, Romania, March 2006:
Computers will support Center for Lifelong Learning Romania a non-profit non-governmental organization that currently develops an outreach training program for three underserved communities in Western Romania. The program will set up three Community Technology and Learning Centers (CTLCs) to bridge the digital divide and overcome existing ICT disparities between rural and urban areas and among various groups and community members within the selected project areas.
Microsoft Sponsored Donation
18 Computers to Peace Corps Honduras, March 2006:
The computers will be used for basic computer education for the Villa de San Francisco school community. Students will be taught Microsoft Office software programs with a special emphasis on keyboarding skills. Special classes focused on capacitating the teacher and administrative population will be undertaken when the students are not in session.
Donated facilitated by Peace Corps Volunteer Lucas Wolf
10 Computers to Youth Information and Counseling Center of Slovenia (MISSS), February 2006:
Computers will support MISSS a non-profit non-governmental organization that develops information & counseling, general and specific community prevention programs for young people that supplement each other and create the network of psychosocial prevention. Donated computers will be used as part of equipment in 3 local training centers.
Donated by Microsoft Community Affairs
25 Computers to Seattle Mazatlan Sister City Association, Mexico, February 2006:
Computers were donated to schools in the city Mazatlan buy the Seattle Mazatlan Sister City Association. Sister City members brought the computers with them, on their plan flight, when they traveled to Mexico.
138 Computers Hanoi University of Technology, Vietnam, January 2006:
Computers provided to the Center for Research and Consulting on Management, a non profit organization belonging to Hanoi University of Technology, Vietnam.
Microsoft Sponsored Donation
50 World Vision Chile, January 2006:
Computers will be used for several community development projects throughout the country. Some of the local community organizations will establish computer centers, in order to assist children with homework and to aid the adult members of the community who wish to use computers for work purposes (finding work, making contacts with potential customers for their handicrafts, etc).
12 Computers to Peace Corps Dominican Republic, January 2006:
Computers will be used for technology centers at several bateys, or villages, in the region. The non-governmental organization, the Dominican Institute for Integral Development (www.iddi.org), will support the program.
Donation Facilitated by Peace Corps volunteer Andrea Pestone
216 Pentium 3 Computers to Morocco Schools, January 2006:
Computers will be used to establish computer labs at high schools throughout Morocco.
10 Computers to Louisiana State University Students, September 2005:
LSU students displaced by Hurricane Katrina received 10 donated computers. The students transferred to University of Washington after the storm to finish their studies. The donation was facilitated by the University of Washington.
12 Computers Donated to Katrina's Victims, September 2005:
InterConnection donated 12 high end computers to the Louisiana Library System so evacuees can get online and file FEMA applications and search for loved ones.
18 Computers to United Action Children, Cameroon, September 2005:
UAC is a caring organization for children and youths. They provide affordable quality education to the children and disadvantaged youths of Buea, Cameroon. Computers will be used to a computer center for youth.
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6. WEBSITE DONATION SHOWCASE
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Hot City Wireless, Philippines
www.hotcitywireless.org
Promotes the use of low-cost wireless technology as a media and tool for economic, social and educational advancement to underprivileged citizens in the Philippines.
Redesigned by Virtual Volunteer, Andrew Boulton
Sudan Capacity Building
www.sudancb.org
Provides approaches to development which emphasize supporting and strengthening individuals, groups, organizations, networks and institutions to increase their ability to contribute long-term to the elimination of poverty. Donated domain name hosting
Fundacion ATASIM, Ecuador
www.atasim.org
Works to develop the towns and communities in Ecuador by promoting the growth of solitarity and work opportunities.
Donated domain name hosting
ELENA, Cameroon
www.elenango.org
Work towards the recuperation of mentally and physically disadvantaged teenage girls and jobless married and unmarried women.
Donated domain name hosting
AID (Action in Disabilities), India
www.humanistaidindia.org
A group working to empower disadvantaged and often forgotten sections of Indian society (primarily impoverished rural women and people with special needs) through sustainable trade, health, and educational programs.
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7. SPECIAL THANKS
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Total Reclaim: For their effort at keeping 1,000s of computers out of the waste stream by donating them to InterConnection
Microsoft: Funding, Computer Donations and Windows Licenses
Fremont Dock: For providing a facility for the Computer Reuse and Learning Center