Posting this again as a lot of people are back at work today.
Sam from Tekheads has donated machines, thanks, also others too as well as individual people as well. Please check out the website mentioned below. Sign the guestbook too.
TSUNAMI DISASTER EDUCATION APPEAL.
I and someone with experience of this type of donating unwanted computers in Asia are organizing sending as many recycled PC's to the affected areas to replace the ones destroyed in the schools etc. This will help the long term goal of getting the villages and towns back to some sort of normality. This idea came around after just a general conversation with people like myself who are computer experts and felt we could offer long term help to replace destroyed computers. This is a expansion of a scheme where i give out education machines to local children near me.
At the time of writing I am hoping to ship in around 5 or 6 months, so around early May 2005 when the buildings should have been rebuilt. These people want to get rebuilding as soon as possible and hopefully we can send enough computers to fill those empty schools.
As well as PC's, software and I.T related equipment other items are needed, as well as funds to cover fuel & shipping costs to get the items to one location ready to have the software pre installed prior to surface shipping, I have a local Linux computer club ready to help do that, but I need help moving items that have been donated.
I am getting local media coverage which is a start then national, and I hope this will help further but here's what i need at the moment.
Working PC's. Anything above 350-400 mhz would do, Monitors and spare parts, cables etc. Networking equipment and other I.T related hardware. Any around Sheffield / Yorkshire would make it easier to start off with which is where I am located and the offers of help with hands on computer setup is at the moment but i soon should be able to collect from all over England. * Now Newcastle area.
Cash. So far I have had offers of help from a local van hire firm, but I need to cover fuel costs. Some people have offered useful items, but I need to cover postage back to them as many cannot afford that themselves due to the weight of items..
If a large amount of computers can be sourced further away then hopefully I can get cheap or discounted shipping, again which is why cash donation would be needed.
A 40 foot container looks like costing around £1800. That can hold a lot of items, but other small costs are involved in setting up the items and getting them shipped. I have had firm offers of people willing to take time off work to help set up the computers on arrival, but I need to cover airfare, food and accommodation for a couple of people to oversee the arrival and setting up on arrival with the help of locals.
Any amount of financial help is appreciated. This is a natural disaster that has affected the whole world, and this is about the only way i can give some positive help back for a change. These local towns and schools need to get back to a normal life as soon as possible.
At the moment I am getting locations and the local language spoken information, but I need to get the ball rolling NOW. A Indonesian computer company is helping out by finding all the information on the schools destroyed and the logistics with local contacts which will still take some time.
I can be contacted on.
(Sheffield) 0114 - 261 8314 Mobile -.07887973224 email - snipped-for-privacy@blueyonder.co.uk
You can visit our website where we are listing all the information and donors as it comes in, updated daily.
What ever you can afford to give, no matter how small, or any other help is received with many thanks.
Julian Hales