London-based NGO Computer Aid International, an APC member, has provided 40,000 fully refurbished computers donated by British companies to educational and civil society organisations in more than 90 different countries.
Computer Aid Founder and Chief Executive Tony Roberts, recently visited Nairobi in an effort to increase the number of Kenyan beneficiaries, and formally launched a new “Baobab Communications” partnership with local NGO the Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN). The launch took place at the Stanley Hotel on Tuesday 23 October 2004.
“Computer Aid has already provided over 2,500 quality refurbished PC to non-profit organisations in Kenya”, commented Tony Roberts. “However with the help of the Baobab initiative we plan to provide 5,000 more computers in the next few years”.
Computer Aid is the world’s largest and most experienced not-for-profit provider of refurbished computers and has calculated that over the 3 year lifetime of each refurbished machine already provided by the charity (when used for 8 hours per day and for 250 days per year) the computers supplied to date will provide over 240 million hours of PC use in educational, vocational and community development settings that would otherwise have not been possible.
Kenyan organisations that have already benefited include Starehe Boys, Kenya National Youth Movement, the Poverty Eradication Development Project of ITDG, the Student and Teacher training Centre of the Global Teenager Project and Action Aid’s education programme with Computers for Schools Kenya.
“Because Computer Aid is a not-for-profit NGO we can provide unlimited quantities of quality refurbished Pentium II and Pentium III computers shipped to Kenya for as little as Ksh 7,500”, commented Computer Aid Founder Tony Roberts.
Organisations requiring relatively small numbers of PC may prefer to acquire their computers locally through Nairobi-based Baobab. For a modest additional fee non-profit organisation Baobab is able to provide pre-cleared Computer Aid PC, with a one-year technical guarantee and is able to advise on software and other IT issues.
Computer Aid and ALIN also provide their fully refurbished computers to universities, community organisations and to any other not-for-profit organisations who do not have the financial resources necessary to purchase brand new PC. The computers are not available to individuals, businesses or those able to afford the purchase of new computers.
As Computer Aid’s founder Tony Roberts says, “We hope that by this visit to Kenya and by working together with Baobab and Computers for Schools Kenya, Computer Aid will receive many more applications from organisations in Kenya so that we will be able to provide thousands more PC in Kenya over the next few years”.
Applications for computers can be made to Computer Aid directly on-line from the Computer Aid website: www.computeraid.org or by email to james@computeraid.org
Alternatively organisations can secure their PC from stock waiting at Baobab’s Nairobi premises at :
Baobab Communications Ltd
2nd floor, Windsor house,
University way/Muindi Mbingu Street.
P.O Box 10098 00100 Nairobi.
Tel 020-6751105, 0735 513975, 0723 320662
Email: Sales@baobab.co.ke