Africa Charity Project WP

Okay, I’ll try to incorporate the below keywords as well. Anything that comes to your mind you can send my way. I can then put it through my special SEO program which tells me how many searches a month people make in them, and then focus on those that people search the most, including the other ones in the same page, to generate the maximum traffic. On that note I’ll create a webforum as well, for my Africa charity page, creating a category for Canadians, so I’d say within a month from doing that I should be at the top of google and see if people actually start using it. I’m trying to move more towards administering my site and less producing content. Too time consuming, although fun and educational once in a while.

But like I said, the most interesting for me will be the prospect of networking with like-minded charitable Canadians down there. Could lead to some interesting progress. k

2010/1/3 Keta

yes exactly, but start it well in advance of going because it will take a while to build. I have the name:

Canadian Connection : Africa

or

Canadians Connect : Africa

or something like that. then you leave room to add more regions because I KNOW that in the first week you will get an email, “I am in East Yemin, there’s no Canadians here, help me too!!”

the most important thing is to make it a nexus between Canadians here and those abroad, to really open it up and to really give people a reason to use it.

exciting.

Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 21:25:18 +0200

Subject: Re: Canadians in Africa

perhaps the best thing that could come out of it is networking and contacts for what I want to accomplish. And just to support each other and hang out. Thanks for the cool tip.

2010/1/2 Keta

Yeah “Canadians in Africa” is good, just call it what it is. You can always put a funky subtitle later.

Re: searching, pretty sure you’re gonna have to go country by country, the continent is such a mess. Don’t forget certain parts are French speaking!

This is exciting, if you start on Facebook and, I strongly suggest Flickr, you could get a really good idea of the community.

Think “Canadians Starved for Other Canadians” you could include their friends & family here, let everyone interact. This could be huge.

-Keta

Date: Sat, 2 Jan 2010 20:26:48 +0200

Subject: Re: Canadians in Africa

hm, interesting. I just did a search on google for “Canadians in Africa” and there’s not much there. I’m sure I could make a Facebook group and a single webpage on my Africa charity domain and I’d be near the top in no time. You think that would be good keywords? Can’t imagine “missing the north” would be search very often.

On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 8:13 PM, Keta wrote:

I’m listening to the Vinyl Cafe (you remember, the radio show on CBC, you said he sounded like a Pastor), they’re doing “letters home” – Canadians working and living abroad. I am AMAZED how many are in Africa!

I thought they would be mostly in Europe or Asia, you know, where the money is, or in English speaking places like Australia or NZ. But they are all over Africa: teachers, technicians, professionals, etc. Young people, people with their families.

Maybe you could organize some kind of social network in prep of going there? Some of them have been there for a while, but they’re all over the continent. They must have computers & at least some internet because they get CBC.

They are all starved for anything Canadian! Maybe you could set up a wee website for them to interact? Make a group on Facebook, link to yourself, make a group on Flickr so they could share photos, put a messge board so they can chat? Then over time you could learn more and you could gather names for when you actually go there.

Think “Canadians Missing the North” if you do it I will help you with content and gathering members. Remember, I have TONS of experience with internet communities of various kinds and play that game very well.

——————————–

Hello Angela,

at the moment I hope to make it to Africa by the end of this year. Depends on how much money I earn over the year and if I can save up the gas cash etc. Crossing my fingers.

My concept is explained in detail through

http://africa-charity-project.org/

Basically I taught myself everything I know on the computer and earn a living through it, through solar panels, so I thought this could work in African villages.

So, what concerns paperwork on the Uganda end, I guess concerning any regulation about importing solar panels and used or new laptops. I expect any country I do this for will not charge me any taxes at the border.

Getting registered in the US as a charity would be good to receive donations.

We can link to each other’s websites and I’ll do it to yours the next time I work on them.

Another thing which you might be able to help me with is translating my computer instructions. Or find someone for that. In which case I could begin to write down all my thoughts. Eventually I’d like all my ideas with translations to be as templates for the laptops I give out. There would be courses to teach oneself English, and my instructions in English and various African languages. I would be the administrator of the laptops so that no users could install games and waste all my efforts.

These are my preliminary ideas.

Enjoying your feedback,

Karel

On Sun, Jan 3, 2010 at 12:33 AM, Angela

Hi Karel,

Thank you for the response concerning my e-mail sent to you. It is OK to link our website to yours.I do have ideas about paper work required. If you need help with that i can help. I am originally from Uganda but my husband is from the United States, so i live here. I do have people on the ground running the Orphanage and also in case of your paper work i do have people in offices who can help.

Teaching is English and Computer Skills will be very beneficial to the children. Do you have an idea of when you intend to go to Africa? Also i have a friend whom i think you may be very interested in communicating with. Her Name is Meadie Burton and she lived in Uganda working at the orphanage for the last 4 years. She is also arranging to take people to Uganda on a mission trip. Her e-mail is

Our charity is registered in Uganda as Non Governmental Organization plus you can go ahead and send me your proposal see if i can translate for you. If not i will send it over to Uganda to someone else to do it on my behalf.

Hello Sue,

thank you for the response. I gather Mombasa is also in Kenya?

Can you help me with some the paperwork?

I also have clients who are interested in African translators, so perhaps I would be able to find people work before I get down there. If you can help me find translators I can give you a commission percentage of work assigned them. I’m sure there are other ways you can help me move my project forward and I would be interested in all your feedback.

Thank you,

Karel

On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 10:23 AM, Sue

Hi thanks for your reply thyat was very fast indeed.

My real names are Nelius Muiruri.Sue is just a nickmane.

Well,i was born in Nairobi and grew up there,but recently moved to mombasa.I would suggest you start up with the villages near  Mombasa coz the poverty level is very high.I have myself worked with a Non govermental organisations which was dealing with women groups and i can tell you they deserve the proect.

Also for the purposes of clearing,it will be aesier for you since the port is at  mombasa which you also be stationed.How many people do you want to cover?i mean the villages?Also if its for charity work,when you are shipping there are some documents needed foem the ministry of education,culture and social services to enable you clearly the goods with minimal cost.otherwise you will pay huge amounts of money.

Hope to hear from you soon and you can ask any question.

——————————–

Hello Nana,

hope you had a good Christmas.

I’m wondering if you got any feedback on my last French translation.

I have some African translators and can send you my list if you like, but not so many, although I’ve started advertising in Africa and am picking up more. I realise that the villagers will probably have to start with simple stuff like data processing and website design. I can help them teach themselves with that. Once they develop their English and other skills, then possibly they could translate. But I’m already picking up skilled people.

Have a good New Years.

Karel

On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 10:53 PM, Nana

Hi Karel,

I think it is a good idea in principle. The major challenges I see are:

a) skills – the people in the village need to be quite well trained in either IT or languages to be able to use the equipment to work remotely and

b) demand for their services. You can help with your translation and other services agency, so that could be a great boost. We also have demand for African translators at times, but they would need to have very good translation skills.

It’s along the principle of teleworking – a lot of work has been done on this and you may be interested in looking into it, if you haven’t already. I can’t add any links to our website, but would certainly be interested in hearing from good translators, either directly or through your agency. All the best and good luck with the project,

——————————–

Hello Sue,

I’m aiming to go to Kenya in about a year, if everything works out well. I already wrote a letter to many in the Kenyan government, so I hope to get some positive feedback and help from them. Other than that I don’t even know what will be required of me. Do you have an idea?

Right now I’m advertising on Craigslist and getting good responses. I don’t really have a great budget but perhaps I could try some newspapers if you have any good suggestions. Generally all African languages would be of interest.

Thank you,

Karel

On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 10:18 AM, Sue

hi there,

thank you for your reply…yes Mombasa is in Kenya,the coastal part of it,and the good thing also is the weather which is sunny and humid,almost through out the year.making it better even for solar systems.And yes i can help you with the paperwork.

About the translation,what do you want exactly tro be done?i can also look for good people to do it for you at a fair cost.what languages do you want?let me know.

——————————–

Hello Karim,

I’m finding that I’m getting fairly good responses from Craigslist, so I will try putting ads throughout all of Africa and see how the responses are in other countries (I just started in Kenya). I don’t really have a big budget at the moment and I’d rather save up for some solar panels for my Africa charity project, so because of the above two reasons I decided I will now only go for option 2, and carefully consider about spending money on a newspaper. It all depends on how much work I myself get.

Thank you,

Karel

On Tue, Dec 29, 2009 at 11:44 AM, Karim wrote:

Hi Karel,

I am interested in your offer, and I would rather go for the first option.

- I live in Mali (West Africa)

- I can post ads only in the capital city (Bamako), as this is the unique major business area of Mali, and this is also where I live

- We can generate French, English, and Bambara.

So, please let me know when is appropriate to start recruiting satellite translators.

——————————–

Hello Sue,

I am advertising for translators in Africa on Craigslist and getting fairly good responses, so I will keep trying that and in all African countries, since my clients are interested in all African languages.

I am also looking for funding in the west but don’t really have a clue how to go about that. Worst case scenario I’ll save up some money myself and fund a village to get the ball rolling.

Karel

On Thu, Dec 31, 2009 at 10:32 AM, Sue wrote:

Hello again,what do you mean craiglist?you are looking for funds to do the project at the moment?

If you will start with Kenya,then you dont need the other african languages….only the languages used in Kenya only.

——————————–

Hello Angela,

your organisation sounds great and I’d love to help you, but at the moment I don’t really have any money and I’m saving up to make it down to Africa in about a year. What I can propose is to link to your website from mine and if anyone decides to send me money, I can propose that they send it directly to you, or figure out something. I hope to make it to Kenya first but after looking at a map I see that you are neighbours, so hopefully I’ll be able to start soon in your country as well. Do you have any idea about paperwork required to start something in your country?

Once I make it down there I’d love to teach your children English and computer skills.

Just curious, where is your charity registered? I’m trying to figure out how to register it in the US.

Another option is if you or someone would be interested in helping me find translators. Get the employment ball rolling even before I get down there. I can send you my renumeration proposal for that if you like.

Looking forward to your response,

Karel

On Wed, Dec 30, 2009 at 8:23 PM, Angela wrote:

Hi,

My name is Angela Namatovu McNally founder/Director Mercy Home of Children Uganda. We are a registered organization working with vulnerable children since 12/25/2001. I would like to introduce to you our children who are in need of help. We started a project called deborah 8 child project through which these children can acquire sponsorship. www.deborah8foundation.org

The purpose of this letter is to ask for partnership with your organization .We have 135 children from 3-17 years,boys and girls most of whom are orphans, former street children, abandoned, war displaced and children from very poor families.These children are in need of electricity at the moment. We had electri installed at the Orphanage but due to high bills we are forced to terminate our subscription with the Uganda Electricyt Board. We try to provide as much as we can but the need is too big,that’s is why we have decided to contact your organization to support in anyway possible.

I would be very grateful if my request is considered.

Thank you very much.

Hi Ken,

thanks for the response and I will answer below next to your points.

On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 8:24 PM, Kevin wrote:

Dear Karel,

Thank you for your email about your wonderful project.  After working in Kenya for six years on the Maywood Rotary Kenya Project, I do have some concerns about your goal:

1.  Solar panels are much cheaper in Kenya than most anywhere else.  But the solar companies are not willing to make contributions of their product.

< I have about a year to set this up, so if I calculate it will be cheaper to buy the panels there than to struggle with import duties and paperwork, absolutely no problem.

2.  I have had many solar panels stolen, you have to secure them, fence off the area, and have paid 24 hour security to deter thieves from stealing them and reselling them.

Do you think it is possible to find some village where they will be able to manage this themselves? For example, I’m not interested in being some naive Santa Clause throwing things left and right, but I want to believe villagers that they will put the equipment to good use, and I want to make sure there will be at least enough bright and responsible people there. I have taught myself everything on the computer, so I know it is possible and I can teach others. I have a feeling that the younger population will be better. Those who can soak up languages like a sponge soaks up water. Computers are like a language. But the people also need to be self motivated. I am not interested in helping lazy, ignorant people who will only want to play computer games or sell the panels for short term gain. I will want to meet these people and they will have to convince me. Perhaps I could put a free ad somewhere and I can already start communicating with candidates before I get there?

So they would have to convince me that at least one person there is motivated enough, intelligent enough, and that the rest of the village will protect the equipment. Once that person learns and starts making an income, they can teach the rest of the village.

3.  I think you have underestimated the amount of theft from the villages, you have no safeguards in place to insure that all your laptops and solar are not taken and sold by the villagers.

4.  I suggest you do NOT bring or ship laptops into Kenya as the import taxes are 50% of the value of each item, it would be cheaper to buy it there.  Or have a lot of money with you to cross the boarder and pay for it.

< I hope to resolve this with the government ahead of time. I am trying to round up a bunch of donated and used laptops from people. I think it would be silly to pay any import duty if I will be giving them away, and if the government does not want to help its own people, perhaps I might choose another country. We’ll see how that goes.

5.  Many Kenyans in rural are not literate enough to work a computer without a year or two of training, first Kiswahalli, then English.

Kiswahalli is a language I guess? One of my plans is to write down everything I have learned on the computer and by which I earn my own living. Then to find volunteers willing to translate it into a local language. Make some sort of template which can be installed onto the laptops. After that they just need the time, brains and motivation to learn it all. Just curious, do people have spare time in poor villages? Or do they have to help their parents with farming etc.? Is it possible that there could be a young bright kid with motivation and capacity to absorb a lot of this very quickly? Let’s say I managed to put together several project villages, I could drive between them regularly, camp out with them in my caravan, perhaps stay at each one for a week, teach English, motivate them, help them on the computer. I would prefer that the laptop is used all day long and as many hours as possible. Perhaps the children etc. can rotate, or the most promising one spends more time on it. As soon as one person starts making any income, then they can work towards buying a second laptop etc. and teaching others to do the same. If it is sunny down there I would think that a single panel could power at least three laptops. Then one or two big batteries could power at least one laptop until midnight.

6.  Internet access from an IP are about $300.00 dollars a month plus time on line.

< They can learn everything offline, and if they get some work, they can transfer it through memory stick at an internet cafe. I’ve survived this way for years without a problem. Most of my jobs are offline. But to be able to run my business I definitely need internet. Possible through mobile phone? Are there cafes with wifi? I definitely need to sort this out for myself, but the villagers don’t need internet so much.

7.  I would not recommend traveling through the Sudan, it’s really not secure and you could lose all your equipment on the road by thieves and without paid guards your life will be in danger.

< Suspected that. I’m glad for your realistic picture. Many were painting it quite rosey, but I’m a realist and I’d like to spend the next year making solid preparations, before I go down there.

8.  I would suggest that you find the money to pay one person in each village to monitor, guard and supervise the use of your equipment.

< Can’t see that happening. The villagers have to care and want to learn. If they don’t I’m just throwing my efforts out the window. They have to convince me that it will be a good investment.

9.  For advice on which villages to assist, I suggest you contact local NGOs and perhaps enlist the help of their local workers.

< Do you know how I could find these? Not sure where to start.

10.  Portable solar lanterns might be less costly and more practical than LED lighting for studying.

< They sell those locally I guess? I wired my truck up with LED lights and its easy. I can help them with the wiring. I’m a jack of all trades.

11.  As a NGO in Kenya, I would NOT suggest you try this program in the Maasai Mara because legal protections there for your equipment and agreements do NOT apply; inconsistent tribal law applies only.

< I gather this is in Kenya? Yah, definitely want to pick safe enough areas, but preferably as rural as possible, and some reasonable bus distance from an internet cafe (not far away town etc.). If I can accomplish something like that it will create a good template and example for potential sponsors.

12.  If you want to increase your donations, it would be wise to set up a 5013c tax deductible foundation or a Euro foundation that will be recognized in the USA.

< I’ve sent out some emails regarding this but it’s all new territory for me. Do you have any suggestions? I have lots of friends in the US who could do leg work for me, but don’t really know where to start. I myself have Canadian and European citizenship, and have contacts all over. I’ve been thinking about this as well and trying to get the ball rolling in that direction. Any tips you might have would be appreciated.

I hope, Karel, that I am not being to pessimistic, but I just want you to avoid all the pitfalls that my and other organizations faced in trying to make change in Africa.  I can see that you are very determined and will do well reaching your goals if you can avoid these problems.  If you need any further information from me, please feel free to email me at any time.

< Nope, this is perfect. I definitely need sound information. Your tips have helped me greatly and looking forward to progressing with this.

Thanks a lot,

Karel

——————————–

Hello Holger,

what website could you link to mine from?

Concerning the attachments, I assume the villages where I want to try this will not have any networks etc., quite possibly not even electricity, so the only extra I want to start with is a usb memory stick so they can take work to a cafe and transfer stuff that way. The rest online. We’ll see, but thank you for your suggestions.

The rest I think I’ve got well covered. Maybe you know of some organisation who collects used, donated laptops? Just grasping at straws and for ideas at the moment.

Take care,

Karel

2009/12/28 Holger

Hello Karel,

thank you for your e-mail.

I thought about your idea and your question if it is feasible to help Africans to earn money through translations. To tell you the truth, I don’t know the African translation market or the market for African languages at all and, unfortunately, am not in need of translation services in an African language until now. But I also had a look at the website of your charity project and yes, basically, I’m interested in helping you there if I can. Exchanging links is quite easy and I would agree in doing this. As you are trying to distribute laptops to African villages you also might need attachments, such as modems, routers, PCMCIA cards for WLAN access, cables, printers and so on. If I can help you there in some way, let me know. Or perhaps I can give you some advice regarding the advertisement of translation services in online portals such as Proz.com. But as you are running a translation business yourself you probably have already the necessary know-how (and “know-where”). I look forward to hearing from you and wish you a happy and successful new year!

I Ingo,

thank you for the positive feedback and I would certainly enjoy discussing this with you further, whenever you find the time. I hope to leave to Africa in about a year so if by then you run into some organisation or whatever which can collect used laptops, I’m a whiz at them and can whip them into shape for the villages. Would be cool. Or any other ideas you might have.

Have a good one,

Karel

On Sat, Dec 26, 2009 at 7:47 PM, Ingo wrote:

Hi Karel,

I think it is a fantastic idea and I would like to support you in whichever way possible. Unfortunately we only translate novels from English into German so I don’t see an immediate need for translators into African languages. I would be delighted, however, to put your link onto our website (but even that will have to wait a couple of months). I also happen to be quite handy with Linux which I assume would be your operating system of choice for laptops. I tried to get businesses in Munich (where we are currently based) to donate old laptops for Africa but didn’t generate a lot of excitement. I may try again now that you have provided me with something to show. Feel free to contact me re any of the above! I am frantically busy until the end of January but things may just ease off a little after that. Keep up the good work, happy Boxing Day and don’t work up a sweat

——————————–

Hello Marinus,

I’d say one of the reasons why I am doing this is because I want to do good in God’s eyes, for all that he has done for me. But by extending God’s grace in this way, the definition of grace is often to extend it to those who seemingly do not deserve it, as was the case with me, in the hope that they will learn from it and react positively to it. On the laptops I want to put a bible with translation, and perhaps occasionally I will mention God in conversation, or if people ask me why I am doing this, but other than that, if you knew me or talked to people who know me well, everyone agrees that I do not push this issue. I myself can get rather turned off by ranting fundamental Christians who push their agenda. I call that “formula Christianity” and their motivations are driven by their own desire to get into heaven and their belief that the more they “save” (convert to their own formula Christianity) the more brownie points they will get in heaven. I believe this is a wrong and selfish motivation and that they’re potentially missing the entire point of what God’s grace is about. It is a lengthy topic to try and explain.

I also believe that God blessed me with a lot of compassion, which is another reason why I am doing this. I feel that with the global warming people in Africa will suffer horribly in the not so distant future and I’d like to help them avoid it. They will not be able to survive on traditional farming. I think it will get very desperate down there and this could be quenched to a certain degree if they have other means of earning income.

And my last motivation is that I simply want to do something with my life that I am proud of and feel a purpose. I sit behind this computer maybe 16 hours a day. I want more people interaction and to do something useful. Just making money for myself feels hollow and not very rewarding.

Just received a lengthy response from an NGO who has been working for decades in Kenya and he has painted a picture roughly correlating to my worst expectations. Realistic. Because I want to do something useful, one thing that burns and annoys me is when lots of my energy and efforts go to waste. For this reason I will be quite careful about giving away solar panels. I have to think about this carefully, but if I give anyone anything, they have to convince me that they will put it to good use and that they will be able to protect it. I also want to communicate with the government about some sort of protection, or safer areas, etc. I’m not interested in driving all the way down there to get robbed or worse. I’m sensible. Anyway, we have about a year, so hopefully I’ll be able to make some good preparations by that time.

Thank you for your feedback,

Karel

On Sun, Dec 27, 2009 at 4:15 AM, Marinus wrote:

Hi Karel

I’m still thinking about your business proposal/development support. It could be viable, but I have two concerns: is the help provided in any way connected to a religious organization. I see that you quote the Bible on your website, so I suppose you are a Christian. If a poor African farmer is an atheist or an animist, would you help them, too? Is there a requirement to visit a church or any other religious or political institution? Secondly: should this endeavour take off, how could we ensure that no local maffia-like structure will take over? Who will manage things fairly over there when you are not available?

Hello Daniel,

I didn’t expect to receive actual interest right NOW, but it’s been from several people so I need a few days to look in my database and compile a concise list of all my African language translators at present. Once I’ve done that I will send you the list. If there is good interest, it will only motivate me to get down there sooner and round up more people. I think the internet revolution will hit Africa within the next 5 to 10 years, and then trade with it, and subsequent demand for translations.

Karel

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 9:08 PM, Harcz & Partner Ltd. wrote:

Dear Karel:

I wonder if you received my answer to your message below.

You can provide the African people with my e-mail address. I look forward to receiving their applications.

Merry Christmas!

——————————–

Africa charity project and seeking African translators

In this email:

1) progress of the Africa charity project

2) subscribe to Africa charity project newsletter

3) seeking African translators

——–

(1)

Howdy dudes,

well, managed to make some progress and moving forward with my project. The discussions have been interesting and you may read them if you like through the standard http://africa-charity-project.org/.

My plan now is to stay in Bulgaria until the fall of 2010, when my one year contract for internet through mobile phone ends. By then I hope to be well prepared for my journey. Which, for the time being, seems like a drive to Alexandria Egypt, and from there ship out to Kenya. On the way perhaps I’ll try to set something up in Syria. Kenya has year round perfect temperature for me, so looking forward to the adventure.

By that time I hope to have found some sponsors for solar panels and laptops, but if not, I believe I will have enough saved up myself to supply at least one village. I can camp out there in my truck, make friends with them, and teach them English and all my computer skills.

I have also begun communicating with several translation agencies who are interested in African translators (point 3 below), so while shacked up in some village I hope to find them some work already.

(2)

If you would like to receive regular updates of the Africa charity project, you may subscribe to http://translationstop.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=6.

I won’t bombard you frequently but only when I feel it is interesting.

If you do not subscribe this will probably be the last letter you get from me on this subject.

——————————–

Hello Marinus,

thank you for the insightful response.

Yes, one of the jobs I would try to get them is dataprocessing and other simple jobs, which they could compete against since they could probably charge a lot less. I’m looking at all options.

What concerns translations, I think that Africa will experience the internet revolution over the next 5 to 10 years, and as it opens up to the world, and people start earning money in different ways, the market will also open up, in which case trade will increase and then the demand for translations will also increase. Kind of happens hand in hand. Anyway, just trying to help them join the global internet scene faster, because with global warming I think they will have a hard time surviving on traditional farming alone.

Take care,

Karel

On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 9:47 PM, Marinus H. wrote:

Hi Karel

Sounds like an exciting and very helpful project. I’d love to come on board, but we’re already quite involved in a bunch of other projects. Can’t do it all, I’m afraid, unless it is an idea that is commercially interesting at this end.

As to the translation idea: it’s hard to imagine who would ultimately want to pay for translation into an African language. I don’t know that market very well, but in the markets I do know the amount of work is determined by the companies that want to reach potential clients. We had a bit of a recession in Germany and not long after that the amount of work from German into English and Dutch collapsed, which caused a price drop of about 15% we’re still struggling with right now. I’m actually considering giving it up because the situation has deteriorated so much.

Which means that only if you can find or create a market in that particular language group, there will be outsourcing to freelancers as a result.

But how about English business services? There are other, less complicated services you could offer. Making editable Word files out of PDFs for example, creating termbases (dictionaries) from existing translation, or file conversion (from Excel to tmx for example). The tools are relatively cheap or even free. I’m pretty sure that if the price is competitive, certain services can be better done by people instead of machines. How much turnover in USD would a candidate have to make per day to make it worth their while?

I could see a business opportunity in a combination of development/outsourcing to African ‘home offices’, but reliability is an enormously important issue. Just as not everyone in Canada or Germany is fit for work that requires pedantic attention to detail and good punctuality, not everyone over there will be. If you are the kind of man who doesn’t mind mixing altruistic intentions with making some money for himself by being the manager of a business service centre, this could be an option. I personally would get on board a business like that, but only if it promises some income for me in the long run as well.

Whatever your reply may be: all the best and good luck with your ventures.

Yes, I once told my idea to a relative and she said I’m just a lone soldier in a field. Meaning that probably no one will be willing to help me. That doesn’t bother me, because I think I can save up enough money in a year to make this possible in at least one village myself, and do not need to depend on snarky programmers or others in the west who are only interested in their own self betterment. God help our selfish planet.

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 6:52 PM, H-Net LISTSERV Server (15.5) <LISTSERV@h-net.msu.edu> wrote:

> Hello,

Unknown command – “HELLO,”. Try HELP.

> I have recently started a charity project to bring solar panels and laptops to

Unknown command – “I”. Try HELP.

> villages in Africa in order to teach them how to earn a living through the internet

Unknown command – “VILLAGES”. Try HELP.

> (http://africa-charity-project.org/). I would like to start in Kenya and was

Unknown command – “(HTTP:”. Try HELP.

> wondering if you had any suggestions how I could accomplish this there, or if you

Unknown command – “WONDERING”. Try HELP.

> think there would be a need for such developments. I hope to make it to Kenya by

Unknown command – “THINK”. Try HELP.

> the fall of 2010 and am making preliminary arrangements at the moment.

Unknown command – “THE”. Try HELP.

> Thank you,

You’re welcome!

> Karel Kosman

Unknown command – “KAREL”. Try HELP.

> KENAX

Unknown command – “KENAX”. Try HELP.

> __________________________________

Unknown command – “__________________________________”. Try HELP.

All subsequent commands have been flushed.

Summary of resource utilization

——————————-

CPU time:        0.004 sec                Device I/O:        0

Overhead CPU:    0.000 sec                Paging I/O:        0

CPU model:         4-CPU 2.3GHz Quad-Core AMD Opteron Processor 2356 (2M)

Job origin:      kenax@KENAX.CZ

< okay, jumped to conclusions and turns out that the above conversation was in fact with a computer and not a person being sarcastic and mimicking a computer. But in a humorous way it does reflect the typical reaction of westerners, who really don’t care much what happens in Africa, or other poor continent that their predecessors exploited and one of the reasons why they can now bask in such great comfort. So what I perceived as sarcasm against my supposed plea for help, was just a computer talking. Sorry mister computer!

——————————–

Hello Sue,

yes, based on the feedback so far it already occurred to me that this could be a major problem. Even if I were to stay in the village for a year and help them with their English, they would still lack the education to understand many subjects. But who knows. Otherwise maybe the younger population could learn faster, and earn something while programming or through web design. And then eventually translation. I plan to get to Africa in about a year and I’m thinking of starting in Kenya (where there are about 226 languages). Worst case scenario it will be an interesting experience for me. Right now I am stationed in Bulgaria but I tend to move around a bit.

Perhaps the villagers might be more useful for proofreading, in the beginning?

Karel

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 7:57 PM, Sue wrote:

Dear Karen,

It is feasible, but I think it would be rare to find someone in a village with the tertiary qualifications in both languages, which is what is normally required for written translations. Anyone with that level of education would probably be very busy doing something else.  However we will keep you and your project in mind should we get any requests for African languages.  What country or countries are you working in?

——————————–

Hello Sue,

well, whenever I’ve been given a proofreading job no one expected me to control every sentence against the original. That’s about as time consuming as translating from scratch. I was thinking from a purely stylistic and grammar point of view. If something seems odd and they need to refer to the original, I can help them with that. Also, US based African translators might loose touch with their native language over time. And languages change. And if something is being translating into African, it is because someone is trying to sell something IN AFRICA, in which case the local native touch could come in handy. Anyway, this is all in the beginning stages. I think that once the internet revolution hits Africa, there will be more trade, and more demand for translations, and perhaps less supply of linguists. Who knows. I will just go there and see what happens.

But good discussing this with you!

Karel

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 8:57 PM, Sue wrote:

No, Karel – you need equal qualifications to proofread as to translate -  very distressing for a translator to be corrected wrongly by someone who does not know both languages as well as he/she does…  However it is definitely a possibility to be considered for the future.

Here’s a few ideas. First of all, every Sunday I force myself not to work, as God told me once, and as is said in the bible not to (I know many modern Christians think it is okay, but first of all Paul said that not one of the laws of the Old Testament shall be overturned or whatever, and second of all it’s practically THE most important law, when you read the Old Testament – to respect the Sabath), but I just get so darn bored on Sundays! In any case, last night I thought perhaps it would be okay to “work” for charity stuff, such as my African project, in between reading the bible and praying etc.

Second of all, after approaching more than one hundred of my friends concerning this, the response has been expectedly abysmal. After traveling through some of the Muslim world it has opened my eyes to how damn selfish, uncaring and decadent people are in the west. It’s repulsive. Concerning my project, one of my relatives said I’ll probably be a lone soldier in the middle of a field, but why not? I just decided that, if during my year in Bulgaria I can manage to save up enough to get down to Kenya with just one extra solar panel and laptop etc., I’ll park next to some chosen village and hang with them for a year and teach them personally. Weather hovers around 29 all year round so could be the perfect deal. And hopefully become a part of some family rather than rot on this motel bed in a rather unfriendly Bulgarian village.

Anyway, just wanted to respond to your previous email about helping me with registration. I’ll try something in Canada as well, cause I think this project might interest Canadians.

Well, we’ll see how far I get within a year. I hope this new French to English angle will get me some juicy work. Already completed one project, but didn’t make so much cause I had to hire so many people to help me. But it certainly gave me an opportunity to improve my French!

Anyway, off to “charity work” today. k

——————————–

oh yah, and I forgot to mention in my last letter: a few times I glanced that African translators in the US are charging something ridiculous like 30 cents a word. Hard to find such translators. If I’m in a village and teach them English and how to work on a computer and how to translate etc., I could potentially use my SEO and other skills to find them work, offer a great price and slap on my usual markup. Turn the little village into a revenue generating engine for all of us. Well, no harm in dreaming, no?

——————————–

Hi Carol,

interesting opinion. First of all, I wasn’t asking for free translations or anything like that.

Second of all, one of my motivations for the solar panel thing is that I believe Africa might suffer more than anyone else from any result of global warming. If their farming will be impacted as a result, either a certain percentage of them will simply have to die, or take handouts from us, or learn to survive by some other means. I am only offering them another means, but they certainly can keep farming or keep their culture. I don’t feel I lost any of my culture just because I started sitting in front of the computer, from which I now derive all my income.

And I also think that those who are starving or on the verge of death think less of their culture and more about feeding their families.

But your opinion is certainly a new one for me! Also, the computer thing and translations MIGHT even help preserve their languages.

Anyway, if I manage to go down there it will certainly be an interesting twist to my travels.

Thank you for your input,

Karel

Carol wrote:

I do not own a not-for-profit translation agency. I’m a French-into-English freelance translator who does not do charity translations. However, I will forward your e-mail to a German-born friend of mine who has lived in the U.S. for many years and whose English is also very  good, if you think you might need some help with German. She is not a professional translator, but I will forward your message to her in case she’s interested in offering her help in some way. She may return to Tanzania with the Peace Corps next year. Where in Africa is your project setting up solar panels?

I have mixed feelings about offering one laptop to every village in Africa. First, I believe that much of our good Western intentions–other than the medical help, water wells, food and clothing that we provide, are not always advisable and necessary things. Much of what we’re doing there is helping to destroy their native cultures, traditions and beliefs, and I don’t support everything we do there. It’s one thing to help them help themselves (teaching them to fish, etc.) and quite another to push them involuntarily into the 21st century. So as I said, although I don’t question for a moment your good intentions, I’m not sure I could support the laptop plan. This is only my opinion, and you didn’t ask me for it, so please take it or leave it, and don’t feel offended. I think the solar project sounds like an interesting and worth-while project. I’ll visit your website to learn more about it.

——————————–

Hi Carol,

yes, one of the first things I did was to approach all my African translators and ask them for their opinion, and so far I received a rather positive response. Only received one negative response that I can remember which basically said that many there will be superstitious and simply not willing to learn anything new. Most suggested I should ask their governments for approval and possible support, so I am now in this stage with Kenya, where I think I’d like to start. So far not getting much support from the west so I may just start with a single village (paying for it myself), and camp out there with them to help them get set up and find work. On such a close basis I believe I’ll have ample opportunity to hear their opinions.

Thank you again for your feedback.

Karel

On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 3:34 PM, Carol wrote:

There is certainly no comparison between your pre- and post-computer culture. But there is a vast difference between a native African culture that has been around hundreds of years and 21st century computer work! If you don’t care to share my viewpoint, that’s fine with me–plenty of others do! But why not know familiarize yourself thoroughly with their cultures and understand what they really want and need before going there to offer them solar panels and laptops, so that you can approach them more from their vantage point–that’s only good marketing! There would be no harm in that, and they might get more support for your projects from them if you take the trouble of understanding their values and way of life.

Just a thought! Good luck.

——————————–

I’m not sure of the feasibility of helping them find work through the internet but certainly the world is in need of translators. Translations first and foremost are derivative work, which means that the original has to have some value to someone before they need it to be translated.  Without knowing what kind of commercial area or type of business environment you are part of it is hard to say whether or not it would be a viable business.  I know from my point of view that there are many Korean companies operating in Africa, so I would assume that there may be a need a need for translating from Korean into the local language.  I would think that would be the place to start.

——————————–

Hello Pieter,

thank you for the feedback and I will log it. I also just approached all the Rotary clubs I could find in Kenya. Thank you for the tips.

Karel

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 11:47 AM, PAK Business Services  wrote:

Dear Karl,

When I was living and working in Kenya I was member of the Rotary Club of Westlands in Nairobi. I am no longer a Rotarian, but my Paul Harris fellowship is for life. I don’t know if they still know me as I left Kenya a long time ago, and unfortunately I have not been in touch with them very frequently. The Rotary backs a lot of projects that serve the community and perhaps they would be willing to back your project or point you in the right direction. At the moment this is the best I can come up with. As for the coutry and people itself, I suppose as with every community nowadays, beware of hoaxes and cons and people who are out to make a quick buck. Corruption was quite bad when I was there and I have no reason to believe this has improved a lot. Security also used to be an issue.

Climate Friendly web enquiry

Thanks very much for your email. I’ve also had a quick look at your website and it sounds a great idea.

However, unfortunately, we are not really in a position to help with either the tree-planting or laptop idea right now. Re tree-planting, although we too love trees, I’m afraid we have no expertise in this area as we only sell credits from renewable energy project verified by either VCS or Gold Standard. I wouldn’t really know where to look for sponsorship – perhaps the EU or World Bank? Or a corporate sponsor with interests in telcos and a desire to integrate something like this into their CSR strategies?

Sorry I can’t be of more assistance but it’s just not really our area.

——————————–

Thanks for your email and your interest in myclimate. Unfortunately we can’t support you as your project ideas don’t fulfil our criteria (http://www.myclimate.org/en/carbon-offset-projects/project-standard.html).

——————————–

Wanted to respond separately for this one. This is awesome – I’m glad you’re getting excited about this – that’s when good stuff happens I think immediately you just need to start moving and getting the word out. Later, think you want to take further steps to keep expanding the name and establishing your record. I.e. set up a non-profit. People are going to want to see something in return for their investment to you. Also, you probably want to be aware (and suggest) that people claim against their tax when they donate to you. I think you need to be an entity for this. Other thought in terms of expanding the word is that you can put together some brochures and talk to the churches on what you’re planning. I think if a church endorses you, it gives an added level of credibility. Anyway, these are just ideas. I think you’ve got a good plan, you probably want to do a combination of networking with like minded people, and just start moving. Things have a way of clicking together once you do so.

Let me know how this goes and if you need help!

heybro, thanks for the encouragement and will try to charge something more to the market rate. In the past I guess I always felt I was serving God better by charging a lower price, and assumed that everything would just fall into place, but I guess if I charge a fair market rate to regular clients and dedicate my resources and spare time to charity, I’m doing better. Gotta get into this frame of mind more.

Anyway, been getting really interesting responses concerning the Africa thing and slowly formulating a plan. Will update the website with all the responses, as search engines like this, and I think people will see that I’m actually doing something and enjoy the reading. Once that is done I figure I will have accomplished stage 2, which is to get a better idea of how to go about this and create some strategy.

Yes, I definitely want to be very transparent and show the first name, amount and date of any contributors, and then exactly where all the money will be spent. Not sure if I know what to do to become a registered charity but certainly is a good idea.

Perhaps if you could forward my email or post it at your church etc. for networking purposes only. Right now I’m trying to build things up from the bottom. Sure if someone wanted to donate I’d take it and store it in a special account I have set up for that, but for now I’m primarily interested in ideas and contacts to relevant organisations.

Man would it be SO cool to drive down to Kenya. All my people in Africa suggest that I contact the governments in every country to get their approval. Then they can help and maybe supply support in some way and they say I should be safer. I’ve also got some contacts for a Norwegian organisation which could donate used laptops, so things are happenin! But a year can certainly go by quickly so I want to keep on this.

Thanks for the input bro! k

Glad to man J don’t worry about the non-profit – when you feel you’re going to need it, I can help you with it. I’ll think about how to word this to the church audience. I think right now it’s more an informal “hey, my bro is doing xyz” to put the seeds out and potentially get some interest. When there’s more substance, I can approach with something more actionable. I could then use that as a template for approach to other churches or organizations in Europe. Let me know how this goes. I’ll try to help you as I can. Btw, we got Gracia a new laptop so her old one is up for this. You said you’re thinking open source? I could invest some time to help you put together an installation profile for your computers (I’m assuming you want to template it such that when you have to get into a support role down the road, it is easy for you to know what went wrong and fix it). Anyway – sounds awesome. Let me know how this goes!

yah, my eventual vision is that I/we etc. would set up the template computers with all my knowledge how to teach oneself PHP, get translations, design websites etc and everything to employ oneself, like I’ve been doing all these years, and then find translators to translate it locally for each country/language. It would be in English and then the other languages, so they could teach themselves English as well – very important obviously. I would be “on ground” to help them on hand, at their location. Would be so cool if I could get involved and hang out in little villages like that. Will send you a link to the website once I update it with all the info I’ve been collecting from others. Quite interesting stuff! :0)

——————————–

Public-sector projects are financed through IBRD loans or IDA credits to governments that are members of the World Bank Group (WBG). The WBG lending arm for the private sector is the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing for private sector projects in the developing world. The IFC participates in private sector projects financing in the developing countries and helps private companies in the developing world mobilize financing in international financial markets. To apply for IFC financing, please consult the following web page:

http://www.ifc.org/proserv/apply/application/application.html
Furthermore, we advise you to consult the African Project Development Facility (APDF) and African Management Services Company (AMSCO) websites.

The African Project Development Facility (APDF) is a donor-funded facility which provides a full range of services to the African SME sector. It includes business advice and services. For additional information, please consult their website at:

http://apdf.ifc.org/index.htm
The African Management Services Company (AMSCO) supplies experienced managers and technical personnel to small and medium-sized private companies in Africa. Customized training services to local managers and staff are offered to upgrade their skills and improve performance and productivity of their company. For additional information, please consult their website at:

http://www.amsco.org/
Should you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Umou
Public Information Services Team
The World Bank: www.worldbank.org

thank you for your response and I will check out your links, and look forward to any other input you may have.

Concerning my truck, as stated in my website, I’ve been living in it for the past three years, with solar panels on the roof, which gave me this idea in the first place. I would prefer to take it with me, as it is my beloved home. But I guess it would be dangerous to drive through Sudan etc.? Perhaps shipping it from Alexandria would be better?

Ethiopia sounds like a good place where I might try to start this project. Is there any internet through mobile phone? I need regular internet connection for my business.

——————————–

Ok. Just give me some time to find you suitable organization. But if there will be some emailing, will you pay money to these organization or you want charity organization.

Right now I’m leaning towards driving straight down to Kenya and setting up village bases in all the countries between, possibly including Syria. I will try to find some sponsors in Europe before I leave and fill up my truck a bit. I do not plan to pay anyone for emailing but am looking for organisations in each country to help me with networking an advice.

Following are the answers to your questions:
do you think this is a feasible idea?

# The idea is brilliant but I don’t think I know about all African regions. As for what is written in the website; I see that bad guys will not leave civilians become dependant or will try to steal any of the equipment.Here in Egypt, I think your idea is perfect, and will find many organizations that will back you. As for Egyptians, you will find a fertalized land to plant skills and even you can find them aware a little bit.

I am prepared to go down there myself and help this get off the
ground. Do you think it will be safe for me in my Mercedes diesel truck?

# As I mentioned above, I don’t think so unless you get governments’ approvals. Again, here in Egypt, you won’t find a safer place but in this country and you will find many organizational activities everywhere.

do you think there is a danger that the villages might instead sell
the solar panels and equipment I give them in order to feed their
families?

# Absolutely. Do you think you’re going to give these things without primary supervision or even without consulting governmental authorities on how to protect all these equipments.

do you recommend any villages or areas of Africa where I should
start? Do you have any contacts there with which I can email in
advance to help set this up?

# You can kick off in Sudan where you can find a more organized government there. Asking for my help, I think I can only provide you with necessary information here in Egypt only.

can you suggest any aid organization which could help my network?

# If in Egypt, yes.

do you have any suggestions how I could promote my concept to the
west, for support?

# you can use the concept of fighting any possible future extremist or terirorits; the idea of fighting poverty and spreading knowledge. Also, going from the point that Africa can be a better place where Western can invest and do other activities.

thank you very much for your detailed response and I will get back to you later once I process all these emails. If you can recommend any organisations in Sudan or Egypt for me to approach I an slowly start organising everything.

——————————–

about your questions:

do you think this is a feasible idea?

R:Yes it’s feasible idea and very genuine
I am prepared to go down there myself and help this get off the
ground. Do you think it will be safe for me in my Mercedes diesel

truckafest?
R:The s country in Africa it’s Tunisia(north africa)
But for countries like Cameroun,Gabon,Ghana (west africa),you should there have good knowledge of peoples and have a solid contact so you can be safe in your truck,and i think when you make a public Relation works with the officials authority to the land you chose to install your project and execute so this make you known and you will be safe in the country and you will not have problem sure.because you help peoples so peoples will help you.
do you think there is a danger that the villages might instead sell
the solar panels and equipment I give them in order to feed their
families?

R:Dangereous no,but give feed it’s not also solution so you should learn thoses peoples how they can sell ,when you settle a supervisor in each village learn peoples how they can do for sell.
do you recommend any villages or areas of Africa where I should
start? Do you have any contacts there with which I can email in
advance to help set this up?

R:You have a lot of countries in Africa i give you for example:Gabon;Muritanie,Tunisia,Nigeria
yes i have some contacts there
can you suggest any aid organization which could help me network?

R i am working to have all thoses organisations inf
do you have any suggestions how I could promote my concept to the
west, for support?

R:Like i told you ,you should work with official authority of the land you chose and you should make a public relation plan for promote accordignly your project with making solid contact with the officials authority

thank you for your response, I will log your info and get back to you in the future. If you think of any further suggestions till then, I would be glad to hear them.

——————————–

Good morning to you and thank you for the email. Wow, thats something really good that you would like to do. I am based in South Africa, do you have an idea where in Africa would you like to do this?

after the responses I’ve received so far I am leaning towards driving down to Kenya from Bulgaria next year and setting up a village in Syria, Egypt and the other countries in between. Start there so far and expand to the rest of the continent from there. Have a year to research this. Any suggestions you might have would be great.

——————————–

hey there!

i am gonna send this all my friends, lets see if we can get some response for U!

i love the idea!!

i am afraid this couple of month i cannot help i am broke, but after that i would love to send U little bit money at least…

talk to you later, take good care, good luck!

hey Ilkin, good to hear from ya. No need to struggle with cash but passing onto friends is great cause it can lead to great things! I guess I already told you that I drove through Turkey and spent two years on the Turkish side of Cyprus? Love the people!

I am writing to you because I own the translation agency http://001yourtranslationservice.com/, I like to dedicate as much of my resources to charity (http://001yourtranslationservice.com/translations-for-charity.html) as I can, and I have recently started an African charity project (http://africa-charity-project.org/).

As a quick background, I believe the best help for Africa is not to throw money at it, as this can cause more harm than good (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4185550.stm ), but to help Africans feed themselves and become self sufficient. My idea, as explained in detail on my website, is to supply villages with solar panels and a laptop and teach them how to join the global internet community to find work. I believe Africa will experience an internet revolution over the next 5 to 10 years and I would like to speed up their benefit from that revolution, especially considering that the continent might be particularly negatively affected by the upcoming global warming crisis.

If you help me with your suggestions I can link out to your translation services webpage to help you find more work for yourself as well.

Following are some questions I’d like to ask you and I would be happy to hear any suggestions you might have: < turn into bullet form..

do you think this is a feasible idea?

I am prepared to go down there myself and help this get off the ground. Do you think it will be safe for me in my Mercedes diesel truck?

do you think there is a danger that the villages might instead sell the solar panels and equipment I give them in order to feed their families?

do you recommend any villages or areas of Africa where I should start?

Do you have any contacts there with which I can email in advance to help set this up?

can you suggest any aid organization which could help me network?

do you have any suggestions how I could promote my concept to thewest, for support?

Thank you and looking forward to any comments or suggestion you might

have.

—————-

Thank you for your email showing us your website and work – its lovely to hear that you are doing such great things!

Hi Donna,

thank you for your lovely and encouraging letter and I will be sure to approach the links you suggested. I’ll respond to your points as I read them below.

You website is really good – I hope you don’t mind that I do have a couple of suggestions or questions that might make it easier for people to help or get involved. Are you asking people to actually physically donate laptops, USB’s etc to you, or do you want them to donate money so that you can buy them? It is not clear from the website, and I think that many more people would donate or help out if it was made very easy for them to do so – I couldn’t find a ‘donate’ section where people can see all the ways they can help. I couldn’t see any contact details which would be useful for you too.

You’re right and I’m surprised I forgot about that.

Concerning the donation thing, I wrote in there that I could accept money and will donate 100% to the cause, and since I have run a translation agency for 15 years and know web programming, I’m sure I could make all sorts of fancy buttons and accept credit card payments etc. That is also a good idea, but for now this is more of a concept I wanted to throw out there and see what happens. If I had enough money I’d be prepared to start it on my own and drive to Kenya with my truck and start there, since I have some charity contacts there. Set up the project myself, fund the panels, find some volunteer interpreters, hit some villages and train the people myself. Use it as a pilot run and then use that as a template or something, and as an example for a sales pitch to snowball the concept, hopefully. For example I read that aid from the west is actually hurting the Africans more. They don’t need or want to be spoon fed but want to become self sufficient. I think this is a great way to help them to do that and that the internet revolution should hit Africa over the next 5 to 10 years. I also once read that food aid from the US is doing a lot of harm. The US in its agricultural subsidy war against Europe is pumping tons of money and driving the price of its own food down. Then they dump second rate and genetically modified stock on Africa, calling it aid but driving many African farmers out of business because they cannot compete against these ridiculously low prices. Many say that the US is doing it on purpose as a sort of price dumping policy to leverage its future agricultural might. Like when the Japanese were dumping their cheap cars on the North American market, causing much problems to car manufacturers, and penetrating the market in this recognizably illegal way.

In any case, for now I’m just looking for feedback on my project and can adjust accordingly.

You say that you think many people would be willing to donate money, but how would I get to those people? My page is ranked high on google for “Africa charity project”, but I can imagine so many people would be looking up those key words. That is why I thought I’d approach a bunch of charity organizations to see about networking somehow. I’m new at all this, so looking for any suggestions.

Okay, thanks for yours and I’ll approach those organizations and see what they say.

Thanks for the happy thumbs up!

Greenpeace now have offices in 3 countries (Senegal, DRC and South Africa) on the African continent. You may want to ask them for some advice, although they are still small and new and extremely busy so they may take a while to get back to you! Here is the website: www.greenpeace.org/afrique/ Greenpeace may not be the most experienced people for you to ask about advice with your project, although we have tracked e-waste before, and installed solar panels on Mama Obama’s roof! (see these pages for more info about this: www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/bringing-solar-power-mama-obama-20090 902 www.greenpeace.org/international/footer/search?q=e-waste)  I recommend that you get in touch with the following organizations for further help as they are doing similar projects: Action Aid: www.actionaid.org.uk/ Practical Action: http://practicalaction.org/home WDM: www.wdm.org.uk/ > And there are probably others.

You are very welcome to add a link to Greenpeace on our website – that would be much appreciated, and I will check with the rest of the Webteam to see if we are able to link to your site too.  I’m afraid we often have to say no to adding links to our site, even if we love what you are doing, just because there are so many environmental organizations out there that if we linked to all that were relevant our lists would be endless!  I’ll let you know though.  Thanks again and I wish you loads of luck with your work,