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Many computer labs go unused because no one in the community sees the need to use computers and therefore they have not even learned how to use them. Yet the community cannot return the computers nor afford their upkeep.

However, this is not the case regarding a computer lab near me in Kenya. The organization that sold the computers to the community provided intensive training to the lab managers. The youth center that owns the lab has plans to hold classes, as well as use the lab as an information center to educate on and prevent drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infection for the community. This demonstrates that they both had an idea of how to use the computers and had thought of activities for which they could be used.

Sustabale computer lab installation does not stop here

Instead, they faced three simple, yet seemingly insurmountable problems:

1. Finding someone who could teach the community to use the computers and guide users in finding the information on HIV/AIDS or drug abuse
2. Finding the money to pay that person on a regular basis
3. Paying for the Internet access and bandwidth costs

These issues reflect two themes prevalent in many development projects: lack of funding and lack of initiative. First, the director of the program thought there was nothing to do until the money came to pay a teacher. Then he also did not think to volunteer as an instructor, or ask his center manager (also trained on computers) to volunteer, or search for a volunteer in the community.

About two months ago the missing piece of this lab's puzzle came into the picture: funding. The leadership of a community-based organization (CBO) met the managers of the youth center. After the CBO demonstrated that they were working with ICT and were knowledgeable about open source operating systems and packages (which this lab was running), the seeds of partnership were planted.

The CBO and the director of the youth center are now near signing an agreement whereby the CBO teaches computer classes to the youth center's target population at for small fee, and, in return, they have access to the computer lab to do their administrative work. Future plans to supply Internet access to the lab through the CBO's project are in progress.

The moral of the story is this, lack of knowledge on how to use or the usefulness of computers is not always the cause for computer's disuse in less developed countries. In some situations, the owners/managers are simply waiting for other pieces to fall in place.

Human capacity barriers are some of the most difficult to deal with in community-focused projects. Overcoming them is simply a matter of finding the right outlet for the resource that is needed. As we all know, change often takes time.

Soon, this lab will be drawing the community in for lessons provided by their fellow community members. As in all other endeavors, ICT for development projects should not end with hooking up the technology, it is finding the connections or resources needed to make it usable and useful for the target population.

If you ask any parent from Kenya to Ghana, they'll all agree they want their children to have access to educational information and communication technologies like computers and the Internet. But often they cannot afford a computer themselves, much less Internet access or educational software.

Parent look to primary and secondary schools to provide computer access via shared usage models like computer labs, yet these same schools often cannot afford to upfront costs of buying computers or the ongoing costs of maintenance and support, or Internet access and educational software updates. Or so they think.

Making computers affordable to schools

Computer Lab Financing Solution: School Fees

Each school year, parents pay school fees to educational institutions for each child. These fees support the many extra-curricular activities that broaden young minds. While only a few dollars per year, per student, the school fees add up to a significant revenue source for schools. And a great financing option for capital purchases like a computer lab.

School fees are also a continuous revenue source that can support ongoing expenses like Internet access and computer maintenance and support that is often overlooked in the excitement of an initial computer system purchase. Finally, while parents often complain about school fee expenses in general, few do if they see a direct benefit from an increase - especially giving their children access to ICT.

School Fee Financing: Step By Step

Here's how schools can finance computer purchases with school fees, with tips for technology vendors:

1. Sell the idea to schools: Schools are a business like any other - they have customers (parents) who pay for a service (educating students). So a technology vendor should target schools using a marketing and sales approach that recognizes this, showcasing how the addition of a computer lab will increase the perception of quality in the school's service, for which the school can benefit (greater prestige, attendance, funding, etc).

2. Sell the idea to parents: Nothing is going to happen unless parents are excited and buy into the idea. And parents are often driven by the same geek-lust that excites children. Technology vendors can increase sales by showcasing demonstration computers at the school - even lending one out for extended use by key, influential parents.

3. Get the banks involved: School fees come slowly each year, but technology vendors need to be paid quickly, so technology vendors should bring in the local bank that collects school fees (or wants to). Using an accurate computer lab proposal, have the bank develop a financing scheme (often called "factoring receivables") where it essentially loans the school the money for the computer lab based on future school fees.

4. Build in support payments: While its often overlooked, support payments are usually the most profitable service a technology vendor can offer, and are also the most demanded service by clients. So build support payments into the bank financing scheme - either paid in advance at implementation or annually thereafter.

5. Install quality technology solutions: Children can be very demanding on technology equipment, and yet actual support calls are expensive for a technology vendor to service, so cheap or improperly configured equipment can quickly consume an support payment revenues. Be smart in school deployments - use quality technology solutions, implemented with a clear focus on high reliability and low maintenance.

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