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OLD COMPUTERS, GIVE THEM TO US

based in the Dubai Humanitarian City, has launched its Computer Recycling Programme.

Under the project, the IAHV is collecting outdated computers, using their parts and producing low configuration machines which can be used for simple tasks such as e-mails and word processing. The recycled machines are then being donated to the IAHV computer literacy centres worldwide, especially in India, Iraq, Africa, Sri Lanka and Oman.

This is the first time the IAHV has launched such a project. The idea for it stemmed from the IAHV CEO Dr Prabhakar Rao's minor quandary. "I had this obsolete PC at home. I wasn't using it and didn't know what to do with it," said Dr Rao. "Then I got thinking there must be hundreds of such outdated PCs in Dubai that could be slightly rebooted and sent to help tribal kids and school children become computer savvy."

Dr Rao floated the idea among corporates and companies in Dubai. He got enthusiastic response, as companies often face the problem of outdated computers when they upgrade their technology. Most of such computers end up as junk in landfills. "When we heard about this project, we thought it fit to donate our older machines for a good cause," said Sue Evans of National Bank of Dubai which donated 100 Pentium III computers.

These computers, however, did not have hard drives, but help poured in from all quarters. Transworld Computer Technology, another company, sponsored 100 hard drives free of cost. Then the students of Higher College of Technology, which is jointly executing the project with the IAHV, put together these recycled machines.

Gulf Packaging Services, another willing contributor, packaged the assembled computers gratis. Now, Freight Systems LLC is shipping the entire consignment to the IAHV's tribal school project in India — also free of cost. Dr Rao said, in another major contribution, the Emirates Bank recently donated 500 computers to the project. "This shows that companies and people do want to help genuine causes. We're grateful to them for joining us and helping us make a difference, even on a small scale," he said, urging more corporates and organisations to come forward and join the IAHV project.