Computer recycling scheme
The scheme would comprise 3 steps:
1- Companies, businesses, organizations and individuals donate old computer equipment that they don't use anymore.
2 - The computers are renovated in computer repair workshops that will not only repair them but also teach young people (living in poverty or that are vulnerable) computer repair skills that they could use later on to get a job.
3 - The repaired computers will be sold at a simbolic price to grassroots organizations, small NGOs, rural schools, clubs and other non-for profit - generating some income to cover the running costs of the program + some profit (social enterprise).
The proyect contributes to poverty alleviation by:
- transfering skills required in the job market to young people living in poverty.
- strenghtening institutional capacity of grassroots and small organizations working at the community level to alleviate poverty (in the Argentinean context, most of the grassroots organizations existent today in the country focus on poverty alleviation initiatives)
The Business
The profit will be generated by selling the renovated and repaired computers.
The customer would be:
- young people taking part in the computer repair courses
- grassroots organizations, schools, youth groups, club, that daily require computer equipment for their activities but can not afford buying a brand new one.
The product will be marketed through promotion campaigns in the main media of the non-for profit sector, large newspapers and promotion partnerships with the government (specially Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Education).
There are no potential competitors since this is something completely new and innovative to Argentina.
My organization, Peace Child International Argentina, would be the main business partner, providing support as well as volunteers to help coordinate and strenghten the program.
The project can start with very little funding (basically to cover transportation costs and some tools), as long as some other things can be obtained as donation (physical space for the computer repair workshops, trainer for the workshops, delivery of the equipment to distant places in the country).
Development
In the short term, the projects clearly contributes to alleviating unemployment, by providing training and skills transfer opportunities to young people who need them the most in order to qualify for jobs and also helping them build on their self esteem. The project also contributes to the environment, by recovering equipment that would otherwise go to trash and reducing technological waste. The project has an impact in grassroots organizations and community groups, by contributing to their structure and capacity building and facilitating their work.
In the long term, the project has an impact in current and future unemployment rates while contributes to strenghten civil society movements and improve education.