Give a Computer to a School in Africa with Camara

This Christmas, want to give a powerful computer to someone who desperately needs one for only $20? Believe it or not, it’s possible with Camara Education, a charity that’s working to alleviate poverty in Africa by using the power of education and technology (Camara is a west African word that means “one who teaches with experience”).

The charity was founded in Ireland in 2005, but they’ve established a 501(c)(3) presence here in the United States, meaning all your donations are tax-deductible. Typically, they’ll take donations from businesses who are disposing of used but perfectly good computers, refurbish them, and work with schools in Africa to learn how to use them.

Since 2005, Camara has sent over 27,000 computers loaded with educational content to over 1000 schools in Africa. The result? Students and teachers in some of the most disadvantaged areas in the world have access to “eLearning Centers” in their schools which will make it easier for them to learn skills and get employed, breaking the cycle of poverty. The picture you see here is of students in Grandsons of Abraham School, Kenya, experiencing Camara computers for the first time.

One thing that really impresses me about Camara is that after you donate, they’ll give you a Tracking ID. When you enter it online, you can track exactly where your donation is as the computer you fund is purchased and makes its way to a school in Africa. This kind of transparency is very refreshing and something I hope other charities can learn from.

This is one of those rare charities that do good twice. They keep computers from filling up landfills, and find a way to get them to people who desperately need them.

To sponsor a computer, visit their site today.