Re:Your local free/reduced medical clinic.. (Score 1)

Well if you're looking for a good cause to donate your time or old computers to.......keep on reading and I'll tell you about my tech related volunteer gig.

My name's Johnnie and I volunteer for the African Literacy and Arts Development (ALAD) organization. This 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization has been in operation for the last 10 years, but has only recently decided to utilize more current technologies to reach their goals. As the organization's project manager, I have come with a list of tasks that will allow them to reach their goal of providing more assistance to those in need in Africa.

Currently, that list includes;

1. Update the African Literacy and Arts Development webpage located at www.aladafrica.org to include an online donation link and a general update to the overall site content. Lastly, to create friendly and inviting pages on Facebook, Myspace, etc to solicit donations. Currently, they only accept checks mailed to their headquarters in Florida.

2. To obtain 20 or more computers that will be installed as part of the newest endeavor of ALAD. This endeavor involves the building of a new library in Wuti, Ghana. This new facility will also include a cybercafe that local villagers can use. The goal is to setup a cybercafe that will generate a part of operational revenue necessary to run the library. Currently, villagers in Wuti must pay roughly $2 for a taxi to the nearest city with internet access. While $2 does not sound like much, it is a large sum for these villagers. The donated computers will run a build of Ubuntu that includes a web browser, literacy software for English, and an e-book reader.

3. To implement a low cost and easily maintained Internet connection for the library that will provide internet to the donated computers. Currently, only satellite Internet is available because of the remoteness of the village. However, the village is roughly 10 miles from a city where traditional Internet access options, such as ISDN, are available.

Please contact me if you can provide assistance for any aspect of this project. Specifically, I am looking for;

1. Donated laptops or desktops that can be used in the library. They don't have to be anything fancy, just powerful enough to run Mozilla on Linux.

2. Feasible ideas and local techies near Wuti, Ghana that can help install a working solution to bridge the 10 mile gap, so that we don't have to rely on costly satellite internet.