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EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN, BETTER FUTURE FOR OUR PLANET
WHO IS DIGITAL AID ?
Digital Aid is a registered charity who seeks a green approach to discarded computer hardware and provides them to those who want to be computer literate but do not have the resources. Do you know that every year, the world discards between 20 million and 50 million tons of computers, peripherals, mobile phones and other electronics? About 4,500 tons of e-waste discarded every hour. The world is facing an explosion of high-tech trash. Wondering what to do with your old computer? You have a choice - you can start thinking of it as recyclable. And even more, you can think of it as a possible way to help a child get better education. That’s what Digital Aid does. We recycle and refurbish old computers, printers, monitors, and other material, and we donate them to educational institutions, nonprofit organizations or low-income households that cannot offer to their children access to information technology. Our organization’s main aim is unprivileged children, because we believe that for the next generation computer skills will be a must for equal professional opportunities. We are trying to identify geographical areas or social categories affected by the “digital divide” phenomena, and to bring our contribution – and yours – to bridging it.
DIGITAL AID
Our association has been registered on 20 March 2009 at the Prefecture des Alpes Maritimes with number W062001187.
OUR FUTURE PROJECT
For 2010, we are organizing a program that aims to create: six socio-educational centers in institutions hosting orphans or children arriving from unstable families in Romania; three computer centers in pediatric hospitals. These centers will be administered by Digital Aid. We are working on this project in collaboration with the Social Assistance local institutions, teachers and public administration. The concerned areas are:
Giurgiu and surrounding area, Rimnicu Sarat and surrounding area, Bucharest.
2009 PROGRAM
ROMANIA
RIMNICU SARAT, NOVEMBER 2009
In November 2009, Digital Aid donated 31 computers, screens, printers and scanners to 8 educational centers in Rimnicu Sarat (Romania) and surrounding rural area. We’ve also donated computer equipment to the Department of Internal Medicine at the Municipal Hospital in Rimnicu Sarat.
On 7 November 2009 we’ve met the educational and socio-sanitary mediators that are now in charge with the activity in the educational centers; we’ve discussed the social and financial problems of these communities, and we’ve organized together the technical details concerning the IT training seminars for the mediators. Technical support will be provided by us online, on a dedicated forum on our website, or directly at the centers by local members of our association.
Starting on 9 and until 13 November, we brought the material to each center, installed it and provided a first training on the use of the operating system. The centers have been opened at the following locations: ¾
Rimnicelu village;
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Buda village;
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Grebanu village;
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Dediulesti village;
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Rimnicu Sarat – town.
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Elementary and middle school no. 2 in Alecu Bagdad;
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Elementary and middle school no. 3 in Zidari village;
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Elementary and middle school Posta, in Topliceni village
OUR RESOURCES
Companies that upgrade their systems, people changing their computers, we will try to contact you and let you know that there is a way to give your material and preserve the environment plus supporting an educational project. In addition, any financial donations we receive shall go towards the expenses related to logistic and technical supplies – we are a non-profit making association. We also try to collaborate with local NGO, public administrations and educational system, in order to best adapt our actions to the real needs of the communities. We are supported by the Ubuntu (Linux open source operating system) international community, providing us advice on system versions that best suit children’s needs, CDs, and support for future users to learn how to use this system.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
We wipe all data from hard disks using the KillDisk software; our commitment is to completely destroy all existing data on the computers donated to us. We are installing on computers Ubuntu (www.ubuntu.com), a Linux-based open source operating system that contains all applications children might need for educational purposes: web browser, document, presentation and spreadsheet software, drawing and graphics applications, and much more. The versions used are Ubuntu 9.04 or U-Lite (www.u-lite.org ), a light version for old hardware configurations.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Volunteering. We need volunteers to help us organize the events, the transport, to test, repair and configure computers, advertise our activity, raise funds. No computer skills are required, as we assure training for all those wanting to get involved into the technical aspects. Donations. Our activity relies on the donation of computers and peripherals. We accept computers, notebooks, computer accessories (mice, keyboards, power cords, etc.), computer peripherals (printers, fax machines, scanners, etc.), CRT & LCD computer monitors, printer cartridges, audio / video equipment. We also need financial support to cover logistic and acquisition of material we use for repairing the donated hardware. Please contact us at info@digital-aid.org or visit our website www.digital-aid.org .
CONTACT US
Digital Aid Oana Crucioi “Le Primavera” 206 avenue Louis Pasteur 06190, Roquebrune Cap Martin France Phone/Fax : +33.953550044 E-mail : info@digital-aid.org You can find more details on our website : www.digital-aid.org