World Computer Exchange (WCE) is a United States and Canada based charity organization whose mission is "to reduce the

digital divide The digital divide is the unequal access to digital technology, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and the internet. The digital divide creates a division and inequality around access to information and resources. In the Information Age in ...

for youth in developing countries, to use our global network of partnerships to enhance communities in these countries, and to promote the reuse of electronic equipment and its ultimate disposal in an environmentally responsible manner." According to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

, it is North America's largest non-profit supplier of tested used computers to schools and community organizations in developing countries.

History

WCE was founded in 1999 by Timothy Anderson. It is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. Its headquarters are in Hull, Massachusetts, and there are 15 chapters in the US and five in Canada. In 2015, WCE opened a chapter in Puerto Rico. By November 2002, the organisation shipped 4,000 computers to 585 schools in many developing countries. By October, 2011, along with partner organizations, WCE has shipped 30,000 computers, established 2,675 computer labs. In February 2012, the Boston Chapter sent out their 68th shipment bringing their total to 13,503 computers.

Activities

WCE provides computers and technology, and the support to make them useful in developing communities. WCE delivers educational content and curriculum on agriculture, health, entrepreneurship, water, and energy. The program also ensures that teachers will know how to use the technology and content by providing staff and teacher training, as well as ongoing tech support. Each chapter of WCE collects donated computers, refurbishes and prepares them for shipment. They also raise funds to ship the computers. Volunteers inspect and repair each computer, then install the operating system and educational material onto each computer. WCE calls recipients of its computers "partners." The requests of computer donations originate from the partners. Once the refurbished computers and the funds to ship the computers are fulfilled, WCE initiates shipment. When possible, WCE coordinates shipments with other organizations, such as University of the People,

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...

, Computers4Africa.org, ADEA (Assoc. for the development of Education in Africa) and others. In June 2013, WCE Chicago chapter sent 400 computers to Mexico, and 300 to the Dominican Republic with help of 85 volunteers. In November 2015, WCE sent two Spanish speakers to visit Honduras for two weeks in 2015 to

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

tech skills training for youth under a contract with

World Vision In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

. The WCE Computers for Girls (C4G) initiative is field testing of eight tools to provide technological training and

STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...

education for interested teachers helping their girl students in four West African countries (Ghana, Liberia, Mali, and Zambia) and Pakistan. In September 2016, World Computer Exchange-Puerto Rico and 4GCommunity.org, two not-for-profit corporations, have announced their alliance to improve public school and family access to technology where needed throughout Puerto Rico.

eCorps

To install computers at partner sites without access to experts, WCE recruits and supports

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

from the USA under its initiative. To be eligible, volunteers must be 21 years of age, have necessary tech skills, and be prepared to self-fund their travel and accommodation expenses. 18 training teams have worked in Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. The "Travelers" program is geared towards those already planning to go to one of the countries in the WCE network, to provide tech support during their trip. 79 "Travelers" have visited the following 41 developing countries including: Armenia, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, and Uganda. In 2015, "Travelers" visited: Cambodia, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and South Africa.

Computers

WCE uses the

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: ''Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All the ...

operating system on their computers, citing the cost of license and being less prone to

malware Malware (a portmanteau for ''malicious software'') is any software intentionally designed to cause disruption to a computer, server, client, or computer network, leak private information, gain unauthorized access to information or systems, depri ...

while providing a computing environment such as

word processor A word processor (WP) is a device or computer program that provides for input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some additional features. Word processor (electronic device), Early word processors were stand-alone devices ded ...

and

printer driver In computers, a printer driver or a print processor is a piece of software on a computer that converts the data to be printed to a format that a printer can understand. The purpose of printer drivers is to allow applications to do printing without ...

s. Unlike One Laptop per Child, the computers do not contain specialized software. Each computer is loaded with educational materials to allow users to learn without an internet connection.

External links

* http://www.worldcomputerexchange.org

References

{{Reflist Computer recycling

Charities A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...