Can you imagine, as a writer, not having your own computer? Having access to only a few public computers, at the library, which isn’t always open? And, when your chance to use one of the computers does arise, having your time on it limited because demand for its use is high? Or maybe, when your turn comes, the generators go down and you have to wait till next week to continue your work? That’s the situation for most writers in Liberia.
Meanwhile, how many writers in Canada have laptop computers gathering dust in their closets, having upgraded to a newer model in recent months? How many will soon have a laptop they don’t need because there’s an upgrade in their near future?
Kathy Stinson has had the privilege of working with Liberian writers, as a volunteer in a program called Reading Liberia, designed by CODE (the Canadian Organization for Development through Education) and the We Care Foundation in Liberia. The contrast between the dire need for computers in Liberia and their likely availability in Canada led her to the idea of “Laptops for Liberia”. CODE has agreed to pay the not-insubstantial cost of shipping not-too-old laptops that would be of value to writers to Liberia.
All you have to do with your used laptop is:
- Remove any personal data. (Don’t worry if you don’t know how to deep-clean it. CODE’s technical support will do that so that no hidden data remains.)
- Package it up safely. Be sure to include its cord.
- Mail it to: Meddie Mayanja CODE 321 Chapel Street Ottawa, ON K1N 7Z2
In the meantime, why not find out more about the Reading Liberia program, the We Care Foundation, and Kathy Stinson’s involvement with Liberian writers.