Classrooms
The Classroom Initiative
“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to fish, you feed him for life.”
-Chinese Proverb
In the developed world, Information Technology (IT) is a booming business, providing sustainable income for millions.
But in underdeveloped countries in some of the world’s most remote areas, basic computer skills (word processing, photo editing, CD copying and printing, etc) provide an extremely viable source of sustainable income. By providing relevant, marketable skills training, we empower students, providing them with a bright future in which they can support themselves and their families without the need for charitable “handouts”.
However, computer training is expensive–far out of reach of those that need it the most.
Enter Hackers For Charity. The goal of our classroom initiative is to make computer training available to those that could not normally afford it.
Each classroom is a joint venture. Corporations, individual members of the community and anonymous donors have played a role in each project.
Also, be sure to see the “upgraded” version of the classroom initiative. Our community centers extend training to students as well as members of the community, greatly expanding the reach of our training. Click here to learn more about our community centers.
Play a part
- Buy a seat. Classrooms cost money. The schools we work with don’t have much. A typical seat in one of our classrooms costs approximately $300US and consists of brand-new, cutting edge-equipment engineered to last for years. More info about a typical classroom setup can be found farther down on this page.
- Donate gear. at $300 a seat, new gear is fairly expensive. But for around $35 (cargo shipping, taxes, handling) we can ship a laptop to Uganda, and for another $15 we can add a new keyboard and mouse (purchased in country) bringing the price down to $50 per seat. We can use lots of other gear as well. See the list here. We ask that you pay shipping to our East-Coast US shipping center.
- Sponsor a classroom. We’re seeking sponsors to donate the funds for entire classrooms, or for an open-access community center. The size of the investment varies based on the size of the installation, but this is an attractive option for sponsors that are interested in branding opportunities or team fund raising opportunities.
- Get your hands dirty. Travel to Uganda to take part in a classroom install or any of the other projects we have going. We’ll gladly accept whatever skills you have to offer. We ask that you pay for flight and lodging, as well as the optional pleasure trips (whitewater rafting on the Nile, Boat tours on the Nile, Bungee jumping over the Nile, etc). This work changes lives, and it will change yours.
Overview of our Classroom Initiative
Classroom Project Photos
This is phase one of the St. John's classroom installed in September, 2009. We installed used laptops donated by "Dean" and hubs donated by Keith Parsons, our supporters in the United States. Shipping was donated by Chris @ Navis (www.gonavis.com/nc1030). Keyboards, mice, power supplies, power regulators and network cable was purchased using HFC donated funds. All said, this is our most cost-effective solution, at only $50 per student.
32 Photos
