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Jan 2, 2010
Cheap laptops for maids
Non-profit group helps to cut electronic waste by refurbishing computers
<!-- by line --> By Melissa Sim
<!-- end by line -->
THE world generates between 20 million and 50 million tonnes of electronic waste yearly, but old laptops here do not have to add to that junk heap.
For many living here, not-yet-obsolete computers can open new doors, and the work of extending their lifespan has become the mission of non-profit group Aidha. Over the past six months, the group has been encouraging the public to drop off their laptops every Sunday at its office in Nassim Road. It then refurbishes and sells them to foreign domestic workers for $150 to $200. Access to these devices, said the group's president Sarah Mavrinac, will enable users to bridge the digital divide by getting them on the Internet and plugged into the mainstream. The organisation also provides financial education for foreign domestic workers with courses in time management, computer skills and entrepreneurship. Last July, as a way for the independent group to make money, Dr Mavrinac decided to refurbish and sell laptops to its students, who are domestic workers mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
[email protected]
Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
Jan 2, 2010
Cheap laptops for maids
Non-profit group helps to cut electronic waste by refurbishing computers
<!-- by line --> By Melissa Sim
<!-- end by line -->
THE world generates between 20 million and 50 million tonnes of electronic waste yearly, but old laptops here do not have to add to that junk heap.
For many living here, not-yet-obsolete computers can open new doors, and the work of extending their lifespan has become the mission of non-profit group Aidha. Over the past six months, the group has been encouraging the public to drop off their laptops every Sunday at its office in Nassim Road. It then refurbishes and sells them to foreign domestic workers for $150 to $200. Access to these devices, said the group's president Sarah Mavrinac, will enable users to bridge the digital divide by getting them on the Internet and plugged into the mainstream. The organisation also provides financial education for foreign domestic workers with courses in time management, computer skills and entrepreneurship. Last July, as a way for the independent group to make money, Dr Mavrinac decided to refurbish and sell laptops to its students, who are domestic workers mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
[email protected]
