In J.K. Rowling's own words: 'If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We do not need magic to change the world, we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.'
DonateYourPC.in (or DYPC as we love to call it!) is such an initiative. It is a platform to take usable but outdated PCs which usually end up being given off as junk and giving them to needy schools/NGOs who can put it to better use. DYPC was started in January 2008 by couple of software professionals as an experiment to see if people would want to donate their old PCs to charity. Since in our country PCs are 'inherited' in the family by one's younger siblings and cousins. Well the experiment succeeded, and many individuals have donated their old PCs and/or peripherals to needy NGOs.
How does it work?
As a donor one has just has to register their donations in the DonateyourPC website (http://donateyourpc.in). As soon as a NGO contacts the group asking for a PC, the donor will be contacted. The donor's contact details will be kept confidential and will only be provided to the requestor after his/her consent. Similarly, a requestor has to login and register their requirements in the site and also provide the reason for their request. The requestor will receive the PC as soon as a donation matching their request is found. They can also check the donations offered page in the site and choose a particular PC.
How can you help?
Volunteering
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Volunteers form the backbone of DonateYourPC.
As a DYPC volunteer, you can:
· Spread the word and promote the causes, awareness->activation->action
· Introduce DYPC to your own city or your organization/institution.
· Verify donor and beneficiary requests and co-ordinate donations in your city.
· Help us grow through your suggestions and initiatives
Donating
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As a DYPC donor:
· You can donate entire PC (including CPU and peripherals) or only the peripherals (monitor, mouse, keyboard etc) Ensure that the items you are willing to donate are in working condition
· Register on the DYPC site and tell us what all you want to donate
· You will be contacted by us only when your donation offer matches a suitable genuine requirement.
Spreading the Word!
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Lend us support. Working professionals and students like you and me keep this campaign afloat
- Visit http://donateyourpc.in and share the DYPC link. (Easiest way is to keep it in your email signature!)
- Follow and Tweet about DonateYourPC (@dypc)
- Join the DYPC group on Facebook
- Talk to your friends and family about it.
- Blog it! Digg it!
