World Computer Exchange is a tax-exempt, educational nonprofit working to help bridge the global informational, communication, and trust divide for youth. We do this by keeping your company's surplus computers out of the landfills and giving them new life connecting students in the world’s poorest areas to the Internet. They will also be used to connect them to tech-savvy sister schools to exchange their knowledge of technology for a richer understanding of cultures and histories. While we seek your computer donations, we are also looking for more effective ways to recruit tech-savvy K-12 sister schools for these schools that are so new to technology. We are also recruiting teams of college students to visit and train local youth in technology in exchange for learning about local history and culture.
We
find it critical for us to coach our current 42 nonprofit partners in Africa,
Asia and Latin America in developing business-like and sustainable plans to
install and maintain the donated computers in their local schools. We and our 19 strategic allies assist them
with equipment, software, consulting, volunteers, content, and tech-savvy
sister schools. We help
them prepare their schools, teachers, and students to use the
Internet as a bridge to new information, resources, educational materials,
and career opportunities. Then we ship them the donated computers.
Recent
Accomplishments:
¨
1,160
computers shipped since May to Benin, Cameroon, Nepal & Nigeria
¨
42
agreements with nonprofit partners approved by our Board of Directors
¨
780
schools with 275,000 students in 25 developing countries recruited
¨
19
strategic allies recruited to provide a rich variety of services
¨
UN
is paying for our shipping to their designated “SDNP” countries
We are interested in bringing to scale our successful pilot efforts at bridging the digital divide for youth. We have learned a lot over the past two years and have refined our business model to ensure its sustainability. Our next twelve containers of 380 computers each are scheduled for Bangladesh, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Paraguay, Philippines, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The Exchange needs to secure more computers, press, services, volunteers, and sister-schools to meet the growing demand from our current and pending NGO partners. To do this, the Exchange set the following five objectives for the next year. Under each, we have listed the specific ways in which we hope that member companies of the World Economic Forum will consider participating.
1.
To
double the flow of computers,
software, and network gear from corporations and individuals through cold
calling, public relations, and new strategic alliances with groups with similar
missions.
¨
Donate
surplus computers, monitors, and related networking equipment that have been
used by your company’s employees and invest the amount that you usually pay for
removal and disposal to sponsor their having a new life connecting schools to
the Internet in a developing country where your company is doing business or would like to increase its visibility.
¨ Direct
any computer recycling companies like RedemTech that handle cleaning and
securely disposing of your company’s surplus computers to provide a portion of
your flow to the Exchange.
1.
To
increase the press visibility
for companies that donate equipment to recruit more computer donations.
¨ Disseminate a press release
describing your company’s equipment donation and investment in the work of the
Exchange. Spread the word about the
Exchange in your industry, putting us in contact with other companies, industry
working groups, and trade associations that could be effective platforms for
increasing the donation of computers and links to interested local tech-savvy
schools.
¨
Place
articles in your company’s in-house publications, corporate citizenship communications,
and as a link on your website explaining to your company’s employees and
customers of the Exchange as a positive option for local sister-schools and for
the disposal of their used, working computers - instead of the landfill.
¨
Provide the Exchange with entrée to reporters who
might write about the work of the Exchange.
1.
To
increase the services and
content for our NGO partners from a growing number of strategic allies.
¨
Make
in-kind donations of any of the following to which your company has access:
learning software for the young, software licenses for schools, networking
equipment, international conference calls, an annual financial audit, freight
transportation within the US, or overseas shipping.
1. To double the number of Exchange volunteers from corporations, on-line strategic allies, and college community service programs to help to develop regional operations within the US and other countries.
¨
Assign
an employee to assist
the Exchange with public relations, recruiting sister-schools, and donated
computers from the US and Europe, or guiding us in simplifying our gathering,
packing, and shipping processes as we come to scale.
¨ Recruit a
volunteer from your company to join a team of executives from corporate members
of the World Economic Forum on a new Corporate
Advisory Council advising and helping the Exchange to become more
sustainable while helping our NGO partners with networking, coaching, and
mentoring.
¨
Encourage
employee volunteers to help in one of the following ways: install technology or train in one of the
developing countries, pack a container with 380 computer sets for schools in a
developing country, remotely assist partners with aspects of their new
technology projects, translate documents on the Exchange’s website into Spanish
and French, promote the Exchange website, or recruit and assist local
technology-savvy schools to partner with schools that are new to technology.
1.
To
develop programs to recruit tech-savvy sister-schools
for the 780 schools our partners have recruited.
¨
Items
for recruiting schools included above under press and volunteers.
15
October, 2001