Changing the world -- one desktop at a time
Refurbishing old computers to help the needy
Some friends and I set up an organization to refurbish older computers, that are donated to us when companies upgrade, with Linux, so we can give them away to the needy in our area.
We are quite a small organization with usually 2 to 6 volunteer workers who come to a refurbishing workshop once a fortnight, but we manage to donate about 500 systems a year.
We have a sponsor not for profit organization who let us use some of their space and resources for a workshop and storage. We have benches for 6 people and storage for about 50 monitors and boxes.
Our sponsor also lets us use their Internet connection for our weekend workshops, and handles our small bank account.
If we get a P2 with 128MB RAM and 4GB HDD, we install Vector Linux, but on anything better we install Ubuntu. Both of these OSes have ease of use package management, a must for newbies.
We check that the machines work, add or change parts if required, set the BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM, install the Linux distro from the CD, get the latest updates and extra codecs and fonts, check that everything works including multimedia and Internet, and label them with specs, login and passwords.
Our website lets people send emails requesting machines, or volunteering, or letting us know about donations of hardware and sometimes money. Many volunteers come for just long enough to get expertise in installing and configuring Linux, learn about networking, or compiling from sources, and leave. But this is all good for Linux.
Most people we donate to, don't require any help as all they want is a machine to do their word processing, school work, email and Internet browsing and we show them that Linux is just as good at it as the competition and without malware.
I think any LUG or group of altruists could do this, as it doesn't take much skill or organization, promotes Linux, stops waste, educates volunteers, and helps disadvantaged and low income people. You can visit our web site at http://cbq.org.au
We are quite a small organization with usually 2 to 6 volunteer workers who come to a refurbishing workshop once a fortnight, but we manage to donate about 500 systems a year.
We have a sponsor not for profit organization who let us use some of their space and resources for a workshop and storage. We have benches for 6 people and storage for about 50 monitors and boxes.
Our sponsor also lets us use their Internet connection for our weekend workshops, and handles our small bank account.
If we get a P2 with 128MB RAM and 4GB HDD, we install Vector Linux, but on anything better we install Ubuntu. Both of these OSes have ease of use package management, a must for newbies.
We check that the machines work, add or change parts if required, set the BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM, install the Linux distro from the CD, get the latest updates and extra codecs and fonts, check that everything works including multimedia and Internet, and label them with specs, login and passwords.
Our website lets people send emails requesting machines, or volunteering, or letting us know about donations of hardware and sometimes money. Many volunteers come for just long enough to get expertise in installing and configuring Linux, learn about networking, or compiling from sources, and leave. But this is all good for Linux.
Most people we donate to, don't require any help as all they want is a machine to do their word processing, school work, email and Internet browsing and we show them that Linux is just as good at it as the competition and without malware.
I think any LUG or group of altruists could do this, as it doesn't take much skill or organization, promotes Linux, stops waste, educates volunteers, and helps disadvantaged and low income people. You can visit our web site at http://cbq.org.au
Comment
-
Comment by Joe Panettieri on July 19, 2007 at 12:35am
-
Tom,
In addition to having a hand in this site, I work on a Web site called http://muniwireless.com. We cover the topic of Digital Inclusion very often. Many of our readers are activists who assist in PC programs that are similar to yours. I could make some introductions if you're interested.
-
Comment by The VAR Guy on July 19, 2007 at 12:32am
- Tom: Congrats on your worthwhile efforts. Where are you based?
About
Badge
© 2010 Created by The VAR Guy on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
You need to be a member of All About Ubuntu to add comments!
Join this Ning Network