Help us to bridge the digital divide

A team of three from CNET Networks UK, publisher of silicon.com, will later this week be travelling to Kenya, marking the culmination of a fundraising drive on behalf of IT industry charity Computer Aid International.

Computer Aid provides recycled PCs for schools in the developing world and the CNET team will be visiting one such school in Kenya to meet a shipment of PCs before cycling 400km west to the shores of Lake Victoria where they will visit a second school benefiting from the charity's work.

For every £1,000 raised Computer Aid can fully kit-out a computer suite for a school. Already a number of companies such as the campaign's main sponsor, Ricoh, have given considerable support and now silicon.com is asking all readers to support this excellent cause (please visit our sponsorship page for the cycle here).

As for the challenge of cycling across Kenya, for which the team have trained hard, Dr Nick McCraith, who will be accompanying the Computer Aid team, told silicon.com the trip will be far from a gentle cycling safari.

McCraith said: "This will be a very tough challenge. The terrain will be rough and undulating, with some long uphill stretches.

"Injuries may be sustained due to accidents or overstretched muscles and of course, a common problem is saddle soreness and stomach problems."

The latter stages of the route crosses the Rift Valley where, McCraith said: "There is always the risk of dehydration in the temperatures we are likely to encounter." He added: "The local insect population may also be in evidence."

The issue of recycling PCs through donation is an increasingly important one as companies look to lower the impact of their business on the environment and adopt a more concerted approach to effective corporate and social responsibility.

Although some organisations have made this a controversial practice, shipping inferior kit to the developing world, all PCs shipped by Computer Aid are of good spec and fully serviced to ensure they offer many years of useful life.

Computers are replacing seriously outdated books and learning aids in Africa and provide an excellent opportunity to bridge social and economic divides.

The work of Computer Aid also ensures PCs, which might otherwise end up in landfill, remain in commission and provide years of worthwhile use.