Going Global: Designing in Rwanda

hey I think this is a great project and i am sure we can find you a computer! where to start?
hmmm let's seee.. have you talked to apple.ca?

I'm trying to find a way to get talking to the right person. May have a lead on that but nothing official. If you know of anyone, let me know.

Thanks for your interest, Kate! 

I spent four months working on a project next door in Uganda a couple of years ago and I spent some time in Rwanda as well. My advice would be to build a business case for the purchase of the laptop - you'll need to clearly demonstrate that this investment is going to deliver more value (over the long term) than say putting that $2000+ into peer lending micro finance, building a school, or health care - to name just a few competing priorities.

Technology skills and access are extremely low or non-existent in most of East Africa - so leaving it behind may just mean it gets sold, stolen, or becomes a door stop. You'd probably be well served by trying to demonstrate how these things won't happen before approach potential donors.

Also - you may want to consider a PC instead (anathema to the designer, I know) - as Rwanda is planning to roll out the $150 laptops from MIT, and they are PCs running Linux, to the best of my knowledge:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129201-c,notebooks/article.html 

Not sure if this helps at all - good luck!

Thanks for your tips, Jeremy. I do know that the man who will lead this team uses a Mac so we might be paving the way at their technical university to insert some alternative design tools. I'll be partnering with this university and I agree with you that many will be PC users. On the other side of this, there may be returning students who could use the Mac as well so either way, we could use one additional laptop to assist this project.

I'll also be travelling alongside a film maker for this project and I believe he'll be a Mac-user as well. 

So here's hoping! 

darn. i don't know anyone at apple...have you emailed them and asked for a refurbished machine?

i'll keep my thinking cap on.
here are some other random ideas off the top of my head...do you have a paypal account set up... or some way of collecting contributions for this online?

and have you heard of www.sproutbuilder.com? it is a little widget builder that you can use to promote your cause and even raise money. I bet it would help. 

kate 

I set up a PayPal link for anyone who might be interested in supporting this project. It can be found on my graduate study research blog. Thanks, Kate!

One other idea:

Some friends of friends were doing a cycling trip to the southern tip of South America from Vancouver to raise money for an environmental cause and needed to raise funds.

They did a fundraising event at The Coppertank on West Broadway. They sold tickets, to their friends, family, and acquaintances, did a slideshow about their impending trip, held a huge game of pop culture trivia pursuit, and then raffled off an old, but dear bicycle of theirs - all to help fund the trip. I think it was a huge success - the bar was packed, and they must have brought in a fair amount of money. This might be one option for getting your computer - if you have time to plan etc.

Cheers,

Jeremy 

I had thought about this idea, Jeremy. We'll see if I can fit it in? 

Still hoping for a laptop. We've attempted communications with Apple & have friends sharing the news with anyone interested but still are short enough donations to make it happen. And we all leave around the 17th so if you are keen to help out, please go here. Thanks for your support.

To offer an update, I can let you know that we were able to get some Adobe CS3 software and I will be offering a few workshops to students.

Photos from the experience can be found here.