WCE volunteer frees computers at Port of Karachi

In 2007, WCE began working with some Afghan expatriates located in the US to organize a fundraising campaign to raise funds to send 190 computers for young Afghan refugees returning from UN camps in Pakistan.  When we shipped the computers last year, the plan was for our partner, the Afghanistan Welfare Center (AWC), to come to Karachi, the closest port, and transport the equipment through the Khyber Pass. 

While the ship was in transit, the highway bridge through the Khyber Pass was blown up by the Taliban (see Associated Press photo above), severely limiting the transport of equipment into Afghanistan, and making it impossible for our partner to get the equipment.

As the many months passed with no solution, the shipping company was incurring additional costs that would have to be paid in order to release the equipment. Our partner recommended that we find another NGO in Pakistan that could make use of the computers. At this point, one of our most dedicated volunteers happened to contact WCE, calling from China with some time off, wondering if there was a project that needed some support. He immediately flew to Pakistan where he stayed for weeks, finding alternative NGO recipients, getting the container released from the Afghanistan Customs area, dealing with Pakistani customs, arranging for the British High Council to help with warehousing and tech volunteers, and dealing with the shipping company to take care of the paperwork and haggling to get the shipment released.  By this time, over $4,500 in demurrage had accrued that would be required to release the computers, and our volunteer arranged for the donation of funds to pay the demurrage. 

This would not have happened without someone on the ground in Pakistan to shepherd it through each step of the way. 

As a result, 50 laptops are going to the Community Motivation and Development Organization for educators in the Peshawar region. The Pakistan affiliate of iEARN that WCE works with in many countries, is distributing the desktops among 21 schools where they have trained teachers, and 20 computers are going to the library of the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, thanks to the generosity of members of the Special Libraries Association in memory of Sue Johnson.

There are many ways that you can help too, without going to Pakistan.

This shipment is WCE's second to Pakistan.  Here are the links to the Implementation Plans for our three recipient Partners:

• Community Motivation and Development Organization: (CMDO)  Implementation Plan
• iEARN Pakistan:  Implementation Plan
• University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir:  Implementation Plan

Honor Roll of Donors: