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Computers for Schools in Antigua

Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club, in conjunction with Rotary International, Northwest Hospital, Overlake Hospital and Microsoft, will be deploying 225 PCs to local schools in Antigua.

Bellevue, WA – March 17, 2009 – The Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club (BBRC), with support from Rotary International, Northwest Hospital, Overlake Hospital and Microsoft, will be delivering 1,000 dictionaries and deploying 225 personal computers to 15 primary and secondary schools located in Antigua.  The computers were spruced up with the assistance of Interconnect, a local non-profit that recycles and upgrades computers, while teaching people the skills to work on computers. The deployment effort in Antigua will be supported by a team of 12 Newport High School students and led by members of the BBRC.  This follows up on the success of the same program in Antigua’s schools last year.

From April 1st until April 11th, the BBRC and Newport High School team will be working on two separate activities to help bring technology and dictionaries to the children in Antigua’s schools:

• Delivering and installing 225 computer systems donated by local supporters and donors.  They are all Pentium IV’s and all have flat panel monitors.  Almost 200 of these computers will be installed in labs, about 10% held back for spares, and the remaining laptops will go to school administrators and specialty teachers who travel between schools. The Newport High School students will install the computer labs in the schools.
• The team will distribute almost 1,000 donated English dictionaries from the United Kingdom (part of Rotary’s worldwide dictionary program), primarily to third grade students.

Furthermore, the BBRC was able to assist the Antigua Rotary Club by purchasing four used commercial grade sewing machines and shipping them in the same container that contains the computers.  The Antigua Rotary Club has been working with a local non-profit that wants to set up sewing rooms to teach ladies in poverty the skill of sewing and set them up with jobs sewing school uniforms.

John Martinka, the BBRC’s program coordinator, was moved to organize this program as a way to help bring technology into the lives of Antigua’s children by redeploying personal computers that would normally be discarded. John says, “It is great way to help provide children with modern tools that expose them to world of technology, while ensuring we reuse computers that can impact the kids’ lives in a tangible way. To this end, we cannot thank NW Hospital, Overlake Hospital, Microsoft, Interconnect and other supporters/donors enough for their generous support of our program.”

Jenny Andrews, BBRC’s President, adds, “In Rotary, we encourage our members to look for creative and productive avenues in which they can directly benefit the lives of others. The Antigua Schools program is an excellent example of how we work with our members, local businesses and others in the community to inspire others to seek service above self.”