Laptops Education for Underprivileged Kids

Hello! My name is Asher Sewell and I am currently splitting my time living between Oakland, CA and Mexico City.

In the last few weeks, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet a government-funded organization that works closely with the mayor of Azcapotzalco and started volunteering, teaching young children in underprivileged neighborhoods how to ride and repair bicycles (two things I love!), all free of charge. As you might imagine, these types of programs are severely underfunded.

Since then, I have learned that many of these kids have never owned or ridden a bike before. It got me thinking about what, if any, access they had to technology at home or in schools. Unfortunately, the answer is almost none.

It has always been my dream to bring technology and education to those who are underprivileged or otherwise without access. I pitched a proposal of expanding the programs here to teach everything from basic computer skills; typing, educational research, online safety and security, with a plan to advance classes into learning how to program basic applications and professional skills like proficiency in Microsoft Excel, and other software development applications.

As for my own experience, I went to college to teach English as a second language, and for the last 12 years, I have been working in the US as a software engineer. Last year, I left my job to pursue residency and move to Mexico City.

I will be volunteering my time and have been promised everything I need to get started as far as classroom space, internet access, and community outreach. All I need now is laptops!

I have researched several resources for buying refurbished machines in bulk with an estimated cost of $200-300 USD each. I'm hoping to buy 10 total, but anything helps, and I think I could get started with as little as 4 or 5.

Thank you so much for your consideration, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!