LONDON, July 23 /PRNewswire/ --
- Charity Delivers a Unique Programme for UK Corporates to Provide
Responsibly Refurbished PCs to Help Reduce Poverty in Africa
Digital Pipeline, a British registered charity founded by Microsoft,
launched today after two years of planning and preparation, aiming to foster
digital inclusion for disadvantaged communities. With over 31million(i) PCs
per year ending up in landfill, Digital Pipeline is calling for UK
organisations to donate computers they are no longer able to use, so they
can be refurbished and redeployed to underprivileged schools and community
groups across Africa.
Statistics show that less than one in 250(i) decommissioned computers are
currently made available for disadvantaged communities. Digital Pipeline has
created a federation of certified organisations who work together from the
moment an initial donation is agreed, to PC collection, secure wiping of
data, testing and refurbishment, shipping to overseas destinations and
installation in schools. Working through local public-private partnerships,
it includes additional services such as teacher training and technical
support. When PCs reach end-of-life, Digital Pipeline agents facilitate
collection and responsible recycling, with 90 percent of materials recycled.
By donating PCs that have reached the end of their useful business life,
companies across the UK can help ensure disadvantaged communities have the
necessary access to technology to further educate children and enable them to
participate in the information society. Evidence shows that for every PC
donated through redeployment programmes 25 children become "digitally
included" (ii). With this sort of multiplier effect, PCs donated through
Digital Pipeline can really make a difference to the learning, employability
and life chances of young people in Africa.
Importantly, for every computer Digital Pipeline provides to Africa, it
uniquely ensures that one computer is collected and recycled responsibly at
the end of its 'second life'. This means that donated computers are not
'dumped' abroad, but are in fact recycled in an ethical fashion that complies
with the European Commission's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment
Directive, which came into force on 1 July 2007.
"Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated that ICT must figure
prominently in achieving the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of halving the
number of people in extreme poverty by 2015," says Mark East, Chairman of the
Board of Trustees, Digital Pipeline and Senior Director, Education Solutions
Group, Microsoft Europe, Middle East & Africa, "Digital Pipeline's goal is to
help UK companies contribute by donating PCs to African schools. We are trying
to show UK businesses that they can make a real difference to the lives of
people living in poverty by simply making better decisions when it comes to
IT equipment that is being replaced."
The Digital Pipeline charity also announced today that it has received
its largest, single source donation to date, 30,000 PCs from EDS. The PCs,
which have been in use at EDS clients in the commercial and public sector
will be refurbished and redeployed to a number of African countries with the
first shipment due to reach Kenya in July 2007.
"We strongly support Digital Pipeline's agenda and have chosen to donate
30,000 PCs from across our commercial and public sector client base as it is
a way for us to give something significant back to the wider community", says
Kevin Torgerson, Vice President of EDS. "We can also be confident that
Digital Pipeline is providing all of the necessary controls, so that PCs can
be disposed of in the most environmentally friendly way - a key consideration
for EDS."
"SchoolNet Africa(iii) is campaigning for an additional one million PCs
to be provided for African schools. Digital Pipeline strongly supports this
ambition as we believe it will help underprivileged communities to develop a
better education infrastructure and to develop key skills to improve
employability prospects," says Wim Blonk, Trustee, Digital Pipeline. "One of
the charity's primary goals was to ensure that a process was put in place
that would enable technology to reach schools in the places that need it most
such as Africa. The feedback we are receiving from Education Ministers in
countries receiving these PCs is that the charity is now doing just that and
we have received requests and ministerial support from Kenya, Uganda, Ghana,
Madagascar and Zambia."
Note to Editors: High resolution pictures are available upon request.
(i) Source:
- Market Focus: Worldwide Secondary PC Market Sizing Methodology, 2005;
25 July 2005
- Thriving Secondary PC Market Puts Old PCs to Good Use; 23 August 2005
- Mature Regions Fuel Supply of Used PCs; 22 August 2005
(ii) http://www.digital-links.org
(iii) www.schoolnetafrica.net
About Digital Pipeline
Digital Pipeline is an independently run, not for profit organisation
working to promote environmentally responsible reuse of end of business life
corporate PCs to help digitally excluded schools and communities.
Founded by Microsoft in 2004 and now a registered charity, Digital
Pipeline provides a supply chain of certified organisations who work together
from the moment an initial donation is agreed, to the refurbishment,
deployment and installation of PCs at beneficiary sites as well as collection
and responsible recycling once end-of-life has been reached. Current
certified partners include Computer Aid International, Digital Links
International, RDC Limited and Remploy e-cycle.
Through Digital Pipeline's work, more than 10,000 students benefit from
weekly access to ICT to improve their education, health and future employment
prospects. A single shipment of 400 PCs provides 20 African schools with ICT
facilities.
www.digitalpipeline.org
Digital Pipeline
For more information: Clare Anderson, Metia for Digital Pipeline, Phone: +44-(0)20-3100-3601, Email: clare.anderson@metia.com; Zoë Grayston, Metia for Digital Pipeline, Phone: +44-(0)-20-3100-3607, Email : zoe.grayston@metia.com
