15896: Wolf: computers into Haiti

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: casey wolf <talkhaiti@yahoo.ca>
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i am going to work with a haitian friend who has asked me to bring some
computers and supportive software to his village in the south to teach the
children on.  they do not have electricity or other resources.  i am
trying to
figure out what is the best way to approach this before asking for
donations.
there are many considerations and i don't have any experience with this.

for instance, i understand it is dicey trying to import anything by just
sending it in, that it may be very costly or otherwise difficult to have
it
released from customs, or it may not actually arrive.  i wondered if it
made
more sense to get two or three laptops, if possible, and carry them in
myself.
but are laptops as serviceable in haiti as a desktop would be?  etc.

any suggestions both on what sort of equipment is best to bring, what
method of
bringing it in works best, and what sort of steps i need to take to do it
all
properly would be very appreciated.

casey wolf