However, keeping in mind that while India is busy updating to the latest of models, there’s still a section of the country deprived of even the basics of technology --one man is trying to bridge this gap by employing a simple solution.
The initiative Donate Your PC started by Kalwa-based graphic designer Tushar Jadhav collects old functional PCs from donors and gives these to government schools across Maharashtra.
“Every person, as well as organisation, tries to keep pace with the technological changes. So, many of us are replacing our old desktops and laptops with the latest models. I know computers and I can see that these old PCs are fully functional and therefore usable. They can prove to be a boon in the interiors of Maharashtra for children who have not even seen a computer,” says Tushar.Tushar, a 35-year-oldgraphic designer, works at a firm in Navi Mumbai and lives in Kalwa. The initiative took shape from Tushar’s own experience. Tuhsar’s father passed away when he was still studying in college and the burden of running the household fell on his shoulders. His grandfather helped him join a computer course and Tushar found his career. The whole incident strengthened Tushar’s belief that technology is the future and it has the power to change one’s life.
“After my course, I came across a website started by Hyderabad-based AkshayAsthana that’d connect PC donors to those in a need of a computer. I had received my first second-hand PC from that website. However, later I found out that the website had been shut down due to some reason. That was when I decided to start this initiative and keep the good work going,” says Tushar.While teaching the basics of computers to many children as well as adults, Tasha experienced that technology can help immensely in education. He also wanted to make sure that children learn the technology at a younger age, unlike him, who had to wait a long time to try his hand at computers. Therefore, he decided to donate the PCs to government schools.
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“We launched the website www.donateyourpc.in in 2015 and so far we have managed to donate 100 used computers to Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools in districts like Thane and Akola. Right when we started, we received 20 computers from Jet Airways, which we gave away to various schools. Even UCO bank gave us 22 monitors and personal computers, which we gave to ZP schools in Thane. Now, individual donors too, have started approaching us. Some people have even donated their old LCD TVs, which we have fixed as monitors in some schools. So far, the response has been great," he says.
If the donors are from Mumbai, Tushar and his team personally inspect the computers before giving them away.
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Students of the Zilla Parishad school in Jambhulpada, Vasai[/caption]
For the computers coming from outside Mumbai, he is connected to a network of NGOs that verify the quality and deliver it to the organisation in need. If the computer is not in a functional state but is repairable, Tushar gets it repaired himself.
To get a computer from Donate Your PC, any individual needs an official letter of verification from an NGO or an educational institution. Institutions can write to the website too, where a waiting list is created and the team reaches out the registered people when someone donates a PC. Those who want to donate can also get in touch via Facebook or the website.
“Sometimes what we throw away thinking it has no value, can be of immense value to someone in need. We are just helping people understand that and act upon it,” he says.
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To know more about Donate Your PC, visit its Facebook page here, and the website here.