Katikati Rotary Sends Refurbished Laptops to Students Worldwide

Katikati Rotary Club is appealing to Western Bay of Plenty residents to donate old or unused laptops, which will be refurbished and sent to students in need overseas. Working alongside Ōmokoroa Rotary Club, the group has already dispatched around 100 laptops over the past year to countries including Kenya, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and various Pacific Islands.

Katikati Rotarian John Buchanan leads the technical side of the operation, volunteering his time along with a small team to reformat and refurbish each device before it is sent on its way. In the coming months, six laptops are destined for Ark Quest School in Kenya, while Rotarian Rod Calver plans to personally carry 11 refurbished devices to a remote outer Cook Islands school on Mangaia Island in late May. Students from Bethlehem College will also deliver laptops to a school in the Solomon Islands later in the year during a school trip.

Anyone concerned about personal data on old devices needn't worry — Buchanan's team wipes the hard drive completely and installs a fresh copy of Windows, ensuring no private information is passed on. Those wishing to donate a laptop or find out more about joining Katikati or Ōmokoroa Rotary can contact Buchanan on 021 310 128.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).