Computers 4 Africa operates a country-wide network of collections, typically by arrangement with the owners of unused out of town retail warehouses; currently the two biggest supporters in this respect are B&Q and Focus DIY. C4A rents the premises for 2 days and locally advertises their event. Local businesses and end-users are encouraged to bring along their unused working computers, nothing older than 5 years or less than P4 standard. C4A will guarantee to data-wipe the hard drive and check the performance before shipping the computers to Africa. Currently most of them go to schools in Tanzania. Over 4,000 computers have already been shipped by the Maidstone-based charity.
Under the agreement the TCA will promote the C4A service to its members as being an effective way to re-use technology, and thus in full accord with the WEEE Directive. Keith Warburton, CEO of the TCA commented "For many resellers, WEEE is mostly about sending scrap to a recycling company. If they take back working computers, the steps they have to go through to make them saleable, such as data-wiping, adding a legal operating system, ensuring they work reliably, and providing a guarantee, means that most of the time it isn't really worthwhile, and they end up with some second hand computers that are worth next to nothing. Now they can take these items to a C4A collection point and ensure they are reused. Or they can entirely relieve themselves of the inconvenience and simply point their customers in the right direction, thereby providing a customer service".
The TCA will promote Computers 4 Africa on its website, as well promoting C4A's Data Wiping Certification service. The need to have hard drives professionally data wipe is illustrated every now and again by some high profile case where sensitive information from an old computers falls into the hands of a third party. Good business governance means ensuring information is securely and irretrievably deleted before computers have a chance of re-entering the supply chain. C4A can send a data-clean certificate back to the original owner.
Europe has one of the highest ratios of computers to people, Africa has the lowest. Often, in Europe, the reason to purchase IT equipment is little more than it is the latest to be released, whereas for Africans of an average income, having your own PC is a distant dream. George Cook, CEO of Computers for Africa said, "By reusing computers we effectively double their life and we provide the opportunity for individuals, families, communities and nations to raise themselves from the technological poverty that stops them taking their rightful place in the 21st Century. Along the way we reduce the environmental damage caused by computers; the manufacture of one computer consumes 240kg of fossil fuels, 22kg of chemicals and 1.5 tonnes of water."
The digital divide between Africa and the rest of the world is getting worse. How can we hope for people in these countries to catch up and support themselves unless we provide practical help? A bag of rice or flour will briefly feed a family. Computer training and the use of a used PC enables a person to get a well paid job that will provide for a family, and as a result, will bring them all out of poverty.
George Cook continued "We are delighted to be involved with the TCA in this way and look forward to them helping us to achieve our goals, which are pretty basic. We simply want to make a difference, for children in need, communities in crisis, and impoverished nations in Africa."
For more information about TCA and Computers 4 Africa visit www.computers4africa.org.uk and www.tcauk.org.
