Program outline:
• Initiated by an Australian donation of 4 old computers to Nangi village in 1997
• More 486 computers donated in USA were too heavy to carry to Nepal, so were dismantled into components to be reassembled by students in wooden
boxes (see photo)
• Further computers were delivered from Australia to Paudwar village in 2001
• Burdensome import duties on old computers retired from use in the Western world make personal delivery the best option
• In 2008 a party of 8 from Australia delivered 12 computers, no duty paid
• Laptops are the easiest to transport into the country and to remote villages a day’s walk from the nearest road
• Desktops are heavier and need monitors and keyboards, but more easily maintained (experts in the villages are competent at swapping motherboards,
chips, etc.)
• Schools also need for networking accessories (wifi hubs, etc.)
Why they’re needed:
• Both students and older residents can benefit from computing experience and internet access
• Donated computers have provided the foundation for the teaching of computer science in rural Nepali schools like Paudwar, allowing students
to keep up with their city counterparts while resisting the temptation to migrate to the city
• At Paudwar School, the introduction of Computer Science led to increased school enrolments.
How to help: Can you donate a computer or related equipment? Or carry a computer to Nepal? Click here to donate or here to contact us.
