Western Bay of Plenty residents who have old or unused laptops lying around the house are being asked to donate them to Rotary, which will repurpose them and send them to students overseas.

“We’re calling out for any laptops which are no longer needed and are gathering dust in cupboards, under beds or in the bottom drawer,” said Katikati Rotary Club publicist Sandra Haigh.

“Katikati Rotarian John Buchanan is our computer engineer – he and his team work voluntarily to reformat and refurbish the laptops to make them useful enough to send to kids overseas who are in need of some technology.”

International needs

Katikati Rotary Club partners with Ōmokoroa Rotary Club to take laptop donations, and the clubs have managed to get laptops to a range of countries. “We’ve sent about 100 laptops in the last year – from Kenya to Kathmandu to Cambodia to Sri Lanka and everywhere in between – including just about all of the islands in the Pacific,” said Buchanan.

“We’re doing some great work with Bethlehem College and a group called International Needs. “Basically it’s the Rotary who takes the donations and does all the work refurbishing the laptops, and then we find partners who can take them over.

“Flame School in Cambodia received 19 laptops in April 2024; we’ve sent two to Freswota School in Port Vila; and two micro-computers and paid for a large photocopier for Victor School of Hope in Vanuatu.”

Technology

Haigh said the gift of accessible technology is “something we often take for granted in New Zealand”, but can make a world of difference for students overseas who receive it.

Rotary’s next donation location is a tiny school on Mangaia Island in the outer Cook Islands, “which has some eager students ready to make good use of them!”

“Katikati Rotarian Rod Calver will take 11 refurbished laptops to the Cook Islands to deliver them in late May,” said Buchanan. “It is a very, very remote island.”

Ark Quest School in Cambodia, pictured, set to receive another 19 laptops in coming months. Photo / Supplied

This year, six laptops will go to Ark Quest School in Kenya in June; and students from Bethlehem College will deliver some extra devices to a school in the Solomon Islands later this year when they go for a school trip.

Clean slate

For those who have laptops which may hold old personal information or photographs, don’t despair. Buchanan says he will crash the old hard drive and bin it so no data will be passed on.

“Rotary will guarantee to completely erase old data and photographs. When we put a new hard drive in, we reload Windows so the old hard drive just becomes rubbish.

“And if anyone wishes to help with this project, or join Katikati or Ōmokoroa Rotary, please contact me,” Buchanan said.

His team are constantly working on refurbishing these laptops, so if anyone can donate an old device throughout this year, contact him on 021 310 128.