14740: Leiderman: computers to Haiti: donating, dumping or doing the whole job (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Stuart M Leiderman <leidermn@cisunix.unh.edu>

dear Christine:

thank you for offering to send your old computers to Haiti.  that's a
very generous idea that should be put into action.  I'm frequently
involved in fundraising, research, outreach and basic communication with
people in or caring about Haiti.  please let me know what you have and
I'll try to arrange to pick them up the next time I'm in New York.

however, the whole idea of sending discarded equipment to Haiti raises
some serious and more comprehensive concerns and responsibilities:

1) first, the total cost of donating equipment:

probably most computers and computer components used in America aren't
manufactured here but outside the country; they travel by ship, planes
and trucks over thousands of miles via complex systems of waterways,
highways, airports, warehouses, etc.  those costs are included in our
sales taxes and in the purchase price, then passed on to our clients and
customers who pass it on to their clients and customers, raising the cost
of living on and on into the future (unless, of course, those systems are
used to reduce the cost of living, but I'd say that's a rarity).

running that system in reverse, i.e. shipping computers back over the
ocean to Haiti, for example, plugs into that same transport system with
the difference that Haitians generally can't afford the costs and
don't have customers and clients to whom they can pass on those costs.
they have poor patients, indigents, victims, etc., not customers and
clients.  plus, as your colleague Brian suspects, shipping heavy
computers to Haiti seems like what we originally had to do in the early
days of the space program; it took a huge Saturn V rocket to lift all
that stuff into orbit!

the upshot of this is that the act of purely offering old computers, per
se, may be a feel-good gesture for employees who care about Haiti and
perhaps even a tax-deduction for the company, but it doesn't get the
whole job done and I'd even say that it was improper charity.  donors of
old equipment thinking it was still good enough for poor people
overseas ought to pay the cost of shipping, and not just to the port of
entry (where things often disappear or get hung up in customs
indefinitely) but to the point of use in the village or the project
office.  on balance, even one computer system sent to Haiti in this way
is worth a hundred computers offered on a "pick-'em-up-at-our-office"
basis.

2) second, the need for centralized electricity:

desktop computers require a lot of alternating (AC) current.  that
requires being plugged into wall sockets delivering electricity over big
transmission lines from central coal- or gas-fired electric generating or
smaller gasoline- or diesel-powered generators.  in America, there are
plenty of wall sockets, plenty of transmission lines and generating
stations and computer users to pay the costs that they, in turn, can pass
on to customers and clients--just like the supply chain that delivers and
pays for our computers in the first place.

well, that's not typical of Haiti.  further, it could be argued that
desktop computers are not appropriate for Haiti simply because using
them assumes a reliable and nationwide electrical system.  how many
places in Haiti have reliable and affordable AC current?  a few dozen?
in wealthy or poor districts?

but on the other hand, there are probably hundreds of Haitian nationals
or second-generation Haitians studying at U.S. and Canadian colleges who
might be grateful for donated desktop computers.  if you or any reader
would like to get together to identify students-in-need, just let me
know.  this would be a interim good project to work on.

3) third, saving money on upgrades:

I know there's a fashion for upgrading computers by purchasing slightly
faster processors, flatter screens, bells and whistles, but it may
not be good economics.  also, underpaid employees might feel it is an
unfair business practice when, instead, they would prefer cash
incentives to upgrade or live with existing equipment.  being that most
computers now can accommodate faster chips on their boards and additional
drives on their racks, I think there's a lot of growing space that can be
taken care of at a fraction of the cost of buying new units.  then,
employees can request that a portion of savings be directly donated to
Haitian projects.  (I'm sure you understand sinister side to frequent
upgrading, namely that companies often do it in order to lay off
employees; they rationalize that the cost of new systems forces them to
reduce the payroll.  this is happening everywhere--U.S., Haiti,
Mexico...)

4) fourth, laptop computers and independent electricity.

I'd say that laptop computers and peripherals that can run on low-voltage
DC current are the most appropriate for Haiti except where big-screen
projection is needed and very-large database crunching is required.  and
when laptops are powered by independent solar- and wind-electric systems
with battery or water-tower storage, you have a reliable, stand-alone
system that could really accelerate the process of self-determination in
Haiti.

in my mind, there is all the reason for the development of a Haitian-made
"Bon Temps" laptop computer/radio/lamp unit where proven, small,
lightweight components, in the short run, can be imported and assembled
into cases that are weather-, shock- and dirt-resistant for Haiti's
conditions and that run on no more than 12 volts DC.  the money
your company can save in prudent upgrades or sale of obsolete units can be
pooled with other companies to jump-start this new industry.  I'd say
at least a million dollars a year could be generated in New York City
alone.

5)  fifth, what's the purpose of high-technology?

computers are a certain kind of high-technology that drastically change
people's livelihoods, use of time, lifestyles and freedoms.  computers
generate huge amounts of wastes and require constant obedience, repair
and often subservience.  under the right circumstances they can be a
source of enjoyment, sociability, intelligence-expansion, and maybe a way
to level the playing field for victims and poor people against landlords,
overlords and tyrants.  under the wrong circumstances they extend the
control of antagonists and rich people over everyone else.  Americans,
Haitians and others experience computer-driven oppression every day.

so, before we send high-technology abroad, we should reflect on this and
then decide on whether and how we really want to change the lives of
Haitians and all the others we care about.  companies that generate
surplus computers or employees who can accumulate old computers hold a
certain kind of power.  I'd give highest priority for that power to
Haiti's poets, writers, story-tellers and artists, then Haiti's doctors
and teachers, then grassroots farming organizations and radio stations.

if there were a plan, I think the discarded computing power of New York
City alone could probably transform and greatly improve the expressive
and curative power of these people and projects.  the elements of a plan
include a) selective sorting and refurbishing of old equipment,
b) carefully-determined shipment of systems all the way to point of use,
c) thorough training in a conscientious person-to-person program,
d) transition away from PC's to thrifty, knock-about portable equipment
and e) in-country manufacturing and/or assembling of that kind of
equipment.

how does this sound to you?  'think it's worth pursuing as a bicentennial
project?

thanks and best wishes,

Stuart Leiderman

Environmental Response
Durham, New Hampshire
leidermn@christa.unh.edu
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~leidermn

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From: CLaBas1@aol.com

I work for a big tech company in Manhattan, and I was just chatting
with our IT Director, Brian.  He was bemoaning the fact that he can't get
rid of old, but still quite serviceable, computer equipment.  We upgrade
frequently here, and the replaced stuff gets sold for a few bucks to
employees, or it's just tossed.  It seems the US non-profit groups are
pretty picky about what they take, and trying to sort out exactly what
those groups wanted was creating too much work for Brian.  I told him I
might have a solution for him.  He was very interested and would love to
establish an ongoing relationship with some of the Haitian charitable
groups that could put this stuff to good use.

To save him work, if you have an interest in learning more about what's
likely to be available email me and I'll pass your contact info on to
Brian.  One caveat:  there's obviously no charge at all for the
equipment, but Brian can't get involved with shipping it to Haiti.

Christine LaBastille
clabas1@aol.com

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