Disabled South Africans Work on Digital Divide Project
FreeCom is a new company that is tackling the digital divide in South Africa by refurbishing discarded computers from Europe and the USA for resale to low and middle income groups at a fraction of the cost of new equipment. Freecom is a spinoff company from Freeplay Energy Group, the South Africa based company that has revolutionized the self-powered radio and torch industry.
Both FreeCom and Freeplay use the Disability Employment Concern as a resource to provide employees for their companies. FreeCom, launched at the beginning of 2001, expects to produce between 25,000 and 30,000 computers this year. The company buys selected computers from the 50-60 million replaced each year in Europe and the USA, and loads them with smart software that enables word processing, spreadsheets, email and internet connections, among other features. The refurbished machines are then equipped with new keyboards and mice and resold. Details: http://allafrica.com/stories/200106070100.html
|
