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C A F E. omputer. C. ccess. A. or. F. veryone. E. What is CAFÉ?. “Computer Access For Everyone” is an international project of participating District 5950 Rotary Clubs. CAFÉ provides computers to Schools and Medical facilities in areas that need but cannot afford such equipment.
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C A F E omputer C ccess A or F veryone E
What is CAFÉ? “Computer Access For Everyone” is an international project of participating District 5950 Rotary Clubs. CAFÉ provides computers to Schools and Medical facilities in areas that need but cannot afford such equipment.
How does CAFÉ do that? CAFÉ collects late model PC’s and peripheral equipment from individuals and organizations. CAFÉ then prepares those PC’s with the same operating system and programs so that one PC will look and respond like the next PC. CAFÉ then ships those PC’s to developing countries or needful areas of the U.S. CAFÉ frequently sends a team of teacher/technicians to those areas where they can help install and train personnel how to use their newly acquired equipment.
Why does CAFÉ do it that way? Prior to the formation of CAFÉ, articles had been written about well intentioned organizations who collected used computers and sent them to developing countries. IBM, Apple, Atari and a variety of odd units were collected and sent – “as is”. The recipients attempted to make use of their gift but – if they did get one unit working, they frequently had to start over trying to get the dissimilar next PC working. These people, with little or no micro processing knowledge, frequently gave up – and the gift just “sat” or got discarded.
Where has CAFÉ been? Since its beginning in 2000, CAFÉ has supplied PC’s to: Belize Tanzania Eluthera Guatemala Madagascar Liberia Nigeria Cameroon And have served locations in the U.S. as well.
Tanzania Tanzania was CAFÉ’s first project in 2001. 50 PC’s were sent to the Mwangaza teachers training center in Arusha in September of 2001. 3 CAFÉ teacher/technicians were sent to Arusha to install PC’s, 3 to 5, in secondary schools throughout the region. School teachers, some of whom had never seen a PC, were taught how to use and teach their students computer skills.
PC’s were collected, prepared and boxed for shipment. PC’s were all prepared with the same Microsoft operating system and programs. Each PC was boxed. Clothing was used as packing so that every inch of valuable space would be taken by useable items.
Boxes are shipped to Tanzania Boxes are stacked on pallets. Pallets are placed in shipping containers. Containers travel by rail and freighter, often taking 3 to 5 Months to reach their destination. The 2001 Tanzania shipment was made possible due to the generosity of “Global Health Ministries”. GHM sends medical supplies to this country.
Arusha Tanzania The container reaches the Mwangaza Center over three months later. The CAFÉ team arrives. The PC’s are checked to make sure they made the journey unharmed.
The CAFÉ team meets with - and addresses the Rotary Club of Arusha. When planning and developing a project in a developing country, CAFÉ will “partner” with a local Rotary Club. Local Rotary Clubs sometimes help determine which facilities in their area are in need of computers.
Local Rotary Clubs sometimes provide lodging and/or meals to CAFÉ team members. Local Rotary Clubs sometimes provide much needed transportation to and from the facilities being served.
Schools receive computers Three to five boxed PC’s are placed atop a landrover. The team and PC’s must travel over some of the worst roads imaginable. Amazingly most of the PC’s arrive at the very remote school safely – despite the looks of their boxes.
Teaching the teachers Teachers are taught the fundamentals of using a PC and how to use Microsoft WORD & Excel. Because of the schools very remote location, teachers and their families live on campus. Other than pictures - some teachers had never seen a PC before the CAFÉ units arrived at their school.
Madagascar In 2005 CAFÉ began providing PC’s to medical as well as educational facilities. Madagascar was CAFÉ’s first such project. SALFA is a health department in Antananarivo Madagascar where CAFE PC’s arrived in the fall of 2005 for use in the department headquarters, hospitals & remote clinic locations throughout Madagascar. Three CAFÉ team members journeyed to this Island to help install the PC’s and set up a network at the SALFA headquarters in Antananarivo.
Rotary Club of Antananarivo The CAFÉ team meets and addresses the Rotary Club. The Antananarivo Club acknowledges receipt of the gift of computers. The CAFÉ team and Rotary members listen to dignitaries make presentations.
A school for the deaf receives PC’s CAFÉ team members try their best to use their limited signing skills with students. With CAFÉ PC’s and special software, deaf students can now learn to speak. This student can SEE his voice displayed as he speaks into the microphone. He sees what his voice sounds like AND what it should sound like.
Clinics receive PC’s Remote clinics with doctors as young as 23 will use their new CAFÉ PC for keeping Inventory as well as patient records. As there is no means of transmitting data to SALFA, a delivery system has been set up to transport a floppy disk from one location to another, sometimes with many stops in between. Most often CAFÉ must provide a generator to provide the power that will run the donated PC.
This young doctor is the only physician at this remote clinic. When she leaves for her home three blocks away, a night watchman comes running to get her if one of the over-night patients should need her. This is a typical room in a clinic where patients can recover.
Hospitals receive PC’s Hospitals struggle to maintain enough room and usable equipment for their facilities. At times even gurneys must be used as hospital beds. The operating Room has equipment that frequently fails.
CAFÉ donates PC’s to these facilities so they can: • Perform accounting functions • Keep Patient Records • Keep track of Inventory • Provide for specialized training
Where does CAFÉ go from here? Our projects for 2007 include: • 34 PC’s and a server to the Phebe Hospital system in Liberia. • 100 PC’s to Mwangaza Secondary Education in Arusha Tanzania. • 100 PC’s to the Selian Hospital system in Arusha Tanzania. • 30 PC’s for schools in Slovakia. • 100 PC’s for schools and medical facilities in Papua New Guinea. • PC’s to facilities in India, Kenya & Malawi as well.
To continue to function - CAFÉ relies on: • Financial support from Rotary Clubs, other organizations and individuals like YOU. • Working PC's & Laptops (Pentium 4 or better with 10 gig or more of storage and at least 256 meg of RAM) • Monitors, Keyboards and Mice • Technical assistance installing software and preparing PC's for shipment • Technicians and Instructors willing to spend one to three weeks in remote areas of a developing country
If you or your Rotary Club have the means to assist and want to help CAFÉ make a difference, please contact us: Café@d-hall.com And- visit our web site: www.rotarycafe.org