Working to Share a Wealth of Technology
A small nonprofit group dedicated to sharing the power of the Internet isn’t hunting for cutting-edge technology. In fact, it’s discovered that hand-me-downs will do just fine.
By urging corporations to donate old computers and unused bandwidth in lieu of cash, the Morgan Foundation seeks to help low-income communities and developing countries connect with the rest of the world.
It’s part of a dream to bridge the widening gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not. Fulfilling that dream relies, in part, on rummaging through the basements and back rooms of high-tech companies.
“We decided one of the things we could do would be to use the excess or waste that exists out in the business environment,” said Kurt Baumann, an Internet entrepreneur who started the foundation two years ago. “When a company replaces 1,000 computers, what happens to the old ones?”
The foundation now assists about 10,000 people through three pilot technology programs at nonprofits in two very different locations: Carpinteria and Brazil.
That mix isn’t surprising when one considers that the foundation is run out of Ojai, has an office in Carpinteria and is bankrolled by Baumann, who lives in northern Virginia. And there is no end in sight to how the group’s work could spread, said Baumann, who named the organization after his 10-year-old daughter.
“I don’t think there is a country that couldn’t use the programs we are talking about. I don’t see this as having an end,” said Baumann, who made his fortune by investing in Internet start-ups and now is co-chief executive of Inter.net, a global Internet service provider.
“There is an excess of technology but a lack of using it to better things,” he said.
Ten computers recently arrived at Girls Inc. in Carpinteria to kick off a technology program that will provide girls with Internet access and computer skills. The organization offers after-school programs for girls.
Another 50 refurbished machines are being gathered for shipment to CEMINA, a nonprofit organization that runs the Women’s Radio Network in Brazil.
The foundation also offered support to upgrade the computer servers at RITS, a group in Brazil that disseminates technology to other nonprofits.
The Morgan Foundation slowly has gained support, forging partnerships with four technology companies to provide computers, software, bandwidth and training. Negotiations are underway with four others, said Jodi Grass, executive director in Ojai.
“We want to be able to come in and provide all of those things to an organization, from A to Z,” said Grass. One goal is to round up volunteers in the United States willing to offer computer training abroad so the overseas programs can become self-sustaining.
“We didn’t want to send a bunch of computers and have them call and say they don’t work,” Grass said.
Fear of a recession and a growing number of layoffs in the tech industry have slowed the foundation’s efforts, as many corporations are turning their attention inward and away from charitable ventures.
But Baumann said the Morgan Foundation will carry on. Though the organization has rented a small room behind a chiropractor’s office in Carpinteria for its three full-time staff members and one intern, the employees use their personal laptops and cellular phones to cut costs, and most of the operations are still run out of Grass’ home in Ojai.
“The economic downturn is affecting things, but it hasn’t gone away totally,” Baumann said. “That computer equipment that is sitting in the corner--we could put it to good use. That bandwidth you have between Libya and Argentina--you’re not using it right now, but we could be.”
Closer to home, Girls Inc. was awarded $60,000 in new technology and support services from the foundation this fall. The money was part of $750,000 the foundation has spent on grants and operating costs since it started.
Girls Inc. is working with the local school district to develop an up-to-date computer lab and create a technology program that will help narrow the gap between the Latino agricultural community and the tech-savvy world.
Girls Inc. “needed to grow in the area of technology,” said Jan Marholin, technology coordinator for the Carpinteria Unified School District and a board member at Girls Inc. “Technology is definitely a piece that you need in order to advance these days and participate in the world.”
Most of the children and teenagers who attend the Girls Inc. programs don’t have computers at home, and officials hope the new technology will open opportunities not available before.
“Typically, if you look at the statistics, girls are not encouraged to participate in computers and science and math, and we are working to change that,” said Patty Bliss, president of the board of Girls Inc.
Computers already have become an integral part of the girls’ routines. They use them for homework, and they designed graphic presentations to promote two enterprises they launched: a baby-sitting business and a pet-walking service.
When 14-year-old Maria Vargas moved to Carpinteria five years ago from Guanajuato, Mexico, she could barely speak English and she had never used a computer. Now a high school freshman, she is taking a computer class and has decided that almost any career she chooses--whether she becomes a secretary, a doctor or a lawyer--will no doubt require her new skills.
“They are really useful,” Vargas said. “You will mostly use them in every job.”
