As you probably know some of the islands in the Philippines were recently wiped out by a typhoon in April. See below article snippet. Through various humanitarian efforts schools are being rebuilt so children can get back to school. However, my friend Andy Trish recently travelled to the Philippines and discovered that those efforts contain no provision for computers in those schools. Andy is taking it upon himself to pay his own expenses fully to install as many computer labs as in these newly built schools as there are computers to populate them. He hoping for upwards of 500 computers total.
Locally DHL has agreed to provide free shipping for any computers that we would like to send. Harbor Computer Services will prepare the computers and make sure they are in good working condition and package them up for shipment.
What we need are computers with at least 1 year of life left in them. A PC or Laptop will do. The PC’s need to be complete with mouse, keyboard and monitor. If you have any to donate please let us know and we’ll come pick them up.
Regarding tax write off, there won’t be any. This is a private effort. Andy is working with and us and DHL and other IT firms and BYond.org, to install the labs in their school projects but the equipment will not flow through them. It’s going direct from you to a school so when they open on day 1 there will be computers for the teachers and kids.
Email or call us if you have a computer or laptop hanging around the office that works but isn’t needed anymore.
Thanks for your support!
The situation
Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Yolanda) struck Central Philippines on Friday, 8 November 2013, with an unprecedented fury through a combination of cyclonic winds (winds of 235 kph and gusts of up to 275 kph), heavy rains which led to flooding and landslides, coupled with tsunami-like storm surges along the coast lines. Haiyan made landfall in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, then cut across Visayas, the islands of Leyte, Cebu, Bantayan, Panay, and northern Palawan, finally heading out to sea, west of the Philippines.
According to the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) update issued on 17 April 2014, this combination of powerful forces caused a devastating humanitarian impact resulting in some 6,300 deaths, around 28,700 people injured, and more than 1,000 people unaccounted for.
In addition to human suffering, Haiyan caused extensive destruction and damage to housing, livelihoods and infrastructure, leading to a drastic reduction in living conditions, income, and access to basic services. More than 16 million people (some 3.4 million households) were affected, with 489,600 houses totally destroyed and 595,100 partially damaged. Affected areas include Tacloban City (which received the heaviest impact) in Leyte Province; Eastern Samar (area of first landfall); the northern tip of Cebu and Bantayan Island; Negros Occidental; Panay Island, and; Palawan.
