Providing Materials to Bridge the Technological Gap

Information Technology has immense potential as a social and economic development tool. However, many communities in the developing world do not have sufficient access. Not only does this make it difficult for young people to get critical skills and training needed for employment, but it also cuts the communities off from the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, millions of useable computers are discarded when individuals, corporations and governments upgrade to newer systems. Mercy Corps' Material Aid Department is working to bridge the gap between a desperate need for technology on the one hand and an overabundance of used computer systems on the other. This program is called the Computer Reuse Project.

The Computer Reuse Project is an innovative program developed in response to the technology imbalance. In the last five years we have sent hundreds of new and refurbished computer systems around the world.

Systems are received at Mercy Corps' headquarters in Portland, Oregon, where volunteers prepare them for shipment. The computers are then sent to non-profit organizations and schools around the world that have agreed to properly maintain and responsibly dispose of systems when no longer needed.