In Cameroon, computer skills put to use

Most students used their winter breaks to tan, shop and catch up on much-needed sleep.

Others took a less conventional route and traveled all the way to Africa - but to do community service, not to take a luxurious vacation.

Three students, one alumnus and one faculty member from CommuniTech - an information-technology service organization in the School of Engineering and Applied Science - installed about 100 computers at 20 different locations in Cameroon.

"There is a very large segment of the population [in Cameroon] that has never seen a computer," said CommuniTech advisor Godlove Fonjweng, who accompanied the students.

The students collected unused or old computers from throughout the University, in places such as Van Pelt Library and the Graduate School of Education.

The donated computers were shipped to Cameroon in October. The team then repaired them at its base in the city of Mbengwi and installed them at secondary schools and teachers' training colleges.

The computers installed were mostly used Pentium 2 and Pentium 3 processors, which can cost up to $300 in Cameroon, said College junior Steve Hershman, who went on the trip.

The funding for the trip predominantly came from donations from Google, ProLiteracy, the Weiss Tech House and the Mbengwi Council in Cameroon.

But the group did more than just install computers - it also provided basic computer training to the recipients of the computers.

Cameroon was "one of the places in the world where they needed the computers and they could also use our help," Hershman said.

CommuniTech has had a lot of experience in teaching computer skills overseas and has worked in Cameroon before.

A year and a half ago, a team of four students, including Hershman, went on a similar trip that also included stops in India and Pakistan.

After returning to a computer site that they helped set up on their last trip, the CommuniTech representatives were pleased to find the computers being used by local residents.

Hershman added that teachers at Cameroon's Presbyterian Teachers Training College, who interact with local primary and secondary schools, are delighted with the computers and "kept talking about how great [the computers] are."

Although the trip was challenging, Engineering and College junior Brian Quimby, another student on the trip, has no regrets.

"It was an absolutely meaningful way to spend winter break," Quimby said. "We were making a difference in Africa."

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