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Finding IT Firms to Donate to Developing Countries?
A Peace Corps Volunteer asks: "I am currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo, Africa and we are looking for organizations to help us fund an IT project. Thus far we have only found orgs that like to either do their own projects or send old computers. There is a large group of experienced volunteers here who just need money to plan and execute projects with in country suppliers (it's amazing how much can be done with a couple thousand dollars on the local market). Does the Slashdot community have suggestions for organizations that like to help fund IT related projects in the developing world?"
GeekCorps for tech help, Kiva for $$.
http://www.geekcorps.org/
http://www.kiva.org/
...will donate Linux licences worth around 700 a piece... ;P
I imagine (though I don't know) that Microsoft might be willing to fund the former but not the latter; and that RedHat might be willing to fund the latter but not the former.
So before expecting to be given money, you'd better make up your mind what you will do with it.
Usually, corporations will give goods and services; and individuals will give cash.
Instead of IT firms, why not organisations dedicated to it? www.computeraid.org are the biggest so perhaps they would help out with equipment. Perhaps some of the other larger agencies like the UN development team, oxfam (less likely since they focus on more basic needs), your own government, your current country's government, and then there are many others that like to be seen to give. Failing that phone Bono.
Warhammer forums
Engineers Without Borders http://ewb-usa.org/ might be able to help. We just started a program in Ghana. Best of luck! My fiancee is in Cameroon with the Peace Corps.
Quiz: True or False -- On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your middle name?
i used to do some work for these people.. they might be able to point you in the right direction.. http://www.globalknowledge.org/
Sorry to be suspicious, but whenever I see people asking for charity saying 'don't give us equipment or services, give us money', I get suspicious regarding what the money is really going to be used for. Maybe it's just me.
todo - The developer's equivalent of confession: "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned..."
They may or may not be relevant here, but you should check out Benetech, a California non-profit that is dedicated to "technology serving humanity". They have an impressive portfolio of technology projects in the areas of human rights, literacy, etc. And for programmers who live out there and are interested, they're hiring, too.
Slashdot for business consulting.
Slashdot
http://www.computersacrossborders.org/ This non-profit was started by the son of on of my law professors here in Boston. Their mission is to supply computers to communities in developing nations in exchange for a commitment to using renewable energy resources to power them. An organization I'm a member of, the Environmental Law Society, has just started to contact local firms and other corporations to solicit donations of used computers or funding to assist CAB.
What will the developing countries do with IT firms?
I am all for helping needy people. There are many needy people at home in the U.S. Why is it so en vogue to help foreign nations before some of our own starving people? There are some areas, like Flint, Michigan, for example, where most people are living below the poverty line. Are there any other people out there troubled by this? I, for one, am. Since we are in the season of giving, I implore you to consider donating to a charity that helps domestically. After all, how, in good conscience, can we help other nations when some of our own citizens suffer?
I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin (your next door neighbor!) with the same hassles of funding. Hope some good ideas come out of this!
'The poets are strangely silent on the subject of cheese...' - Gilbert Keith Chesterton
Suggest donating money to help the people in developing nations and get a positive response on Slashdot. Hire people in developing nations so they don't need charity and you'll get an angry protectionist tirade.
America is being driven into massive debt (federal and trade). Back in the 50's, 60's, and even into the 70's, America was rich. But Reagan and new W. have done all that they could to put more money in their rich friends pockets and take from the middle class. What is amazing is that middle class bought in to it for 16 years worth. We are doing to ourselves what normally requires a corrupt dictator to do.
Perhaps you'd find benefit from a /. review of your proposal as a supplement to the /. sponsor map. RPCV(Fiji '76)
Do not look into LASER with remaining eye!
Why do you need money? I am no fanboy for anyone...I use MS for most of my current work, but have used *nix exclusively at every level in past jobs. If you have sufficiant hardware donations, and the software to do *anything* needed in a 3rd world is free, all you have left is labor and logistical expenses (and utility bills of course, but you won't get many people willing to pay someone elses electricity bills this time of year, let alone their own). It sounds like labor is not an issue for you. So is it logistics?
Remember that 99% of specialized hardware out there can be duplicated with low end, yesterday's technology, and a good skill set, and freely available software with little to no modification. It might not be the preferred solution, but it is being given....so no one can gripe. If they do, move your efforts to the next village instead.
You do seem to have a start in that you want to use local people and hopefully these people will be trained well enough to continue the project after you leave.
If you put together a thorough project proposal that includes all of the messy details of WHAT the project will do, HOW the information will be used to improve something, HOW it will do it, HOW it will be implemented, HOW it will be sustained, etc. they you may be able to apply for funding from the many NGOs and bilateral aid agencies that do have money and an interest in ----- (insert your project here).
I don't read your sig. Why are you reading mine?
I was a PCV (Thailand) and also worked at PC HQ for a while doing fundraising. In addition to this, I raised over $25K while a Volunteer for various IT projects. This was back in the mid-90's when Volunteers were discouraged from this sort of thing because it was seen as "inappropriate". Luckily I have a rebellious streak.
But I digress...
The fabric of funding available in each country is different but you need money - not IT because you're going to go buy it. After I solicited donations of used equipment, I often found used equipment to be more trouble than it was worth and with a small amount of moeny I could go buy/build new stuff. So you're on the right track.
Sources: try embassies. I solicited funds from EVERY embassy in Thailand. Surprisingly, Saudi Arabia gave me the most money. I expected a European country to give the most. Also look into Chambers of Commerce. There are a LOT of gov't aid organizations (USAID, for example) and NGOs out there who might fund you. Look into the USAID publication which lists everyone who receives money from them. It is published annually and is a GREAT resource for people who might fund you. Regional politicians are a good source - try the governor of your province. I developed a great relationship with mine and he helped me a LOT in several situations. Also try the Peace Corps Partnership Program. It's often slow but can provide a lot of money.
Just because these people are giving you money, don't look at it as a donation. It's not. They want something in return. What can you give them? Good will. Be absolutely sure to take LOTS of pictures of cute little kids with the computers you buy/build. Do what you can to get these pictures printed in the local/national papers. Again, develop relationships with people in the newspapers and your pics/press releases will get published more often than not. Make up certificates and send to donors, invite them to "dedication" ceremonies (9 times out of 10 they won't come but will be happy to have been invited). Repeat customers are much cheaper and easier to acquire than new customers - once someone has given you money, wait a few months and hit them up again.
Don't forget that you're going to leave in 2 or so years. Training is FAR more important than the actual equipment. Build capacity. Teach people how to build/repair their own macines, teach them how to use the machines. If you don't build capacity you're wasting your two years there. I wasn't trying to but did so out of dumb luck - I taught a few coworkers how to use the machines and a few students how to build/repair them. Unknowingly at the time I launched a few IT careers...
Finally, here's a link to a manual I produced way back when but is still being used by Peace Corps Thailand. It is old and somewhat country specific but there's a lot more of my "lessons learned" in there than I write here.
Good luck!
~ZanderMander
Change begins with the individual. I own a small software company and we tithe ourselves. Like most geeks we have too much h/w and s/w. Part of our give back is recycling perfectly useable technology to others like the Tibetan Technology Center. In addition to cold hard cash, we've sent them our "extra" 802.11g routers, adaptors, and antennas. We learned of this project on wired.com (or was it /.?). As long as we're going to pay Speakeasy for hosting and several DSL lines, why not piggyback DSL for two senior housing communities here in Seattle trying to jumpstart connectivity for their residents? My point is that even small organizations and even focused individuals can have a relatively large impact.
By linking to some of the organizations we support we've set an example for others. Discussions have been sparked and one company stepped to the plate and offer to write code pro bono for the Tibetan Technology Center. Charity spreads. Having been introduced to Outside the Dream, my two sons and are starting a grassroots effort to help them.
The modest amount of citizen involvement I've done over the years has taught me that not all good comes from the Fortune 1000 and their related charitable arms. Look in the mirror. The revolution begins with me.
First outsourcing, now your just going to give IT firms away?
No trees were harmed in the posting of this message. However, a great number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.
Somewhat off topic, but I'd be interested in hearing about the types of projects. I've been very tempted by the Peace Corps in the past but have been reluctant since I didn't feel my skills would lend themselves to agricultural type projects. What kind of opportunities are there in organisations like this for someone with Economics and CS degrees and quite a bit of corporate IT experience?
Many believe the Peace Corps to be a noble exercise aimed at bettering living conditions in less developed countries. Other's believe it's designs are 'shoe in the door' to USA cultural imperialism including our consumer economy and the evils of capitalism. There are even a few who are convinced it's yet another CIA project(aimed at improving the USA gene pool with hardy rainforest 'stock') only better obscured than UFO's, chemtrails, and global warming.
They are all missing the point. The biggest benefit of the Peace Corps is the understanding of foreign culture that the volunteers bring home to share with their fellow USA Americans. Consider your six degrees of freedom in the light of ignorant conversation revolving around 'those people in '. More often than not someone will say, "No, it's not like that. My sister's boyfriend's stepmother's cousin's son was having an affair with his high school biology teacher and she told him that she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in and that the natives only eat their autistic children. By the way they are quite tasty."
Try these guys http://www.gatesfoundation.org/
I'll donate Microsoft. What are planning to use them for? Cannon fodder in one of your interminable little wars seems like a good idea. If you'd like, we can send you Oracle, as well, but you'll have to keep Larry and Bill in separate cages.
That is all.
It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
the $100.00 laptop project might be of some interest to you. It sounds like you may be just the sort of project they are working with these days. http://wiki.laptop.org/ http://www.laptop.org/ I beleive there is a prodgram here as well... but i think it is mostly old/recycled hardware. http://www.marketvelocity.com/
No thanks, I don't want to contribute to more nigerian spam emails and third world crime lord financed phishing.
Great post! I am also a Peace Corps Volunteer. I'm serving in The Gambia in West Africa, and I have been facing much of the same issues. Here's some quick responses to a few of previous posters' questions:
* Why money and not (just) hardware? Local monies support local IT businesses and help fuel self-sustaining solutions. Donations of hardware without monies to support them (one of the single biggest problems I've seen with donations) are the most common donations, but unfortunately generally lead to hardware lying around useless because there is no power to run them, or no money to pay for technicians to fix them. If you want to help, and want to help by donating hardware, make sure you also donate a budget for maintenance AND power.
* What IT projects are available in the Peace Corps? Every country has a different set of projects, but the general motivation is helping countries build sustainable IT (aka ICT) infrastructures. Here we are primarily focused on teaching IT at the schools and helping the government effectively use the IT they have including lots of database work. Many volunteers here help set up and maintain hardware while they teach basic computing. Other countries have small business development projects that include IT implementation projects.
* What can you do other than donate money or hardware? Donate your time. Donate your brain. Donate the experience you were lucky enough to have a chance to get. Even if you can't spare two years to do something like Peace Corps or Geek Corps, you can give a kid the same chance by spending even just a single semester teaching them what you've experienced. I've just set up a Computer Science Bachelor's degree program at the University of The Gambia. There are maybe a handful of people total in this country with CS Master's degrees. Most of these people are looking for more profitable employment abroad. We desperately need good teachers to come train, even for just a single semester, the future tech minds in this country. The talent and ability and motivation all exist in the students here -- some of these kids are as bright and brighter than anyone I've met in the US, Asia, or Europe. But they don't have the talent teaching them, and that's what keeps them impoverished and disadvantaged and unable to come back to effectively teach their own. If you have a background in computers and a Master's degree or a PhD and want to help, please, please, please consider taking even just a few weeks to teach somewhere it is really needed, whether it be The Gambia, West Africa, or Flint, Michigan.
Please e-mail me direct if you are interested in teaching CS for a semester or two in The Gambia, or if you'd like to know more about Peace Corps' IT efforts in West Africa.
Go back to the rich world, get a job and donate all the money you save by living in the Toga-like conditions to the cause.
Thus funded, the skilled locals (frequenters of that "local market" you mention) will be able to do the job themselves. They would happily switch places and take your place in the rich world, but various protectionist and anti-immigration laws keep them in Africa (mostly)...
But if you insist on wasting your time and effort over there, try asking the Gates Foundation... Ha-ha.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
Thanks for your comments. It's nice to know that there are other people out there struggling through the same issues as I am. It's amazing how many comments have already come in from other PCVs and volunteers doing the same sort of work. I wish there was a central place where we could all share stories/experiences/advice in this area of work.
Keep up the good work! I love your idea of a CS Masters. I'm going to check out your site and read a little more.
Your skepticism is valid. The initial post was not necessarily a call for money (although that would be nice... :)
. html. Sadly the full proposal isn't on the site as I don't have access to a hosting site while over here. If you would like me to send you the PDF please give me your contact info or get in touch with me directly from my blog.
If you want to read more about my project and why it isn't a 419 check out my blog at www.aaroninafrica.com or the description of the project at http://aaroninafrica.blogspot.com/2006/07/project
Thanks for your comments.
(Interesting side note... while in an internet cafe here I happened to glance at the screen of the person working next to me. Guess what he was working on? A 419 email... So interesting to see it from this side!)
I have been hearing about Ghana and the Geekcorps for years. I think it's great, and the folks there have been doing an amazing job. BUT LETS THINK beyond Ghana please! There are 100's of other countries, and thousands of people in New York's South Bronx that have a fraction of the computer resources of the people in Ghana. GHANA, GHANA, GHANA, OK, lets think FOR ONCE beyond GHANA? In numbers, the people in Ghana are now light years now beyond the people of the Bronx. Maybe the people of Ghana can come here and help us?
Just a thought. What is the fascination with Ghana? What's there that draws EVERYONE involved in non profit computer reources? I can't figure it out. GHANA, GHANA, GHANA, GHANA, OK! What about the South Bronx? HELP US GHANA! Sorry for the rant, just so frustrating that the poor of the Bronx live with a fraction of the computing resource that we seem to want to give GHANA. GHANA help us!
On a serious note, though, it would be very interesting to see some information on the kind of things that drive people into that kind of activity. I can't honestly say what I would or would not do if faced with extreme poverty and a low-risk data-entry position like that.