We have already put together a website to manage the project and you can read more about it and how to contribute at http://cfs.hintonline.org. We are very grateful for your generosity and look forward to your participation in the project.

There are a number of ways through which you can help:

(1) Make a donation online, by check, or direct bank-to-bank transfer. Details on the project site above.

(2) Invite others to donate by sharing this project with your friends in your various Social Networks (Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Digg, Twitter, etc) and encouraging/inviting them to donate. You may also simply EMAIL the project link to your friends.

(3) Invite me to your church, meeting, organization, school, company, family or group for a presentation. I am in the USA fundraising for this project from June 14, 2009.

(4) You can organize a fundraiser and bring your friends, family, and neighbours together to share this project with them. We will provide you with the presentation material you need. A BBQ for example is a great option.

We will keep all donors updated on the fundraising progress on a regular basis. As at today, $555 has already been raised through 2 donors!! More on the project website.

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you and receiving your seed gift.

Best Regards,
Genesis Tinshu
President/Executive Director
HINT

iamchangingtheworld.com. “is a personal and individual initiative to deliver a message to those who want a better world for present and future generations.” (Marco Ramirez, Founder and President of I am Changing The World).

We look forward to receiving the container towards the end of May 2009.

In the meantime, we will like to express our appreciation to Computers 4 Africa through its Executive Director Mr. Cook and especially to Miss Faith Dziruni who has worked hard behind the scenes, putting together the container and also especially to the volunteers who worked hard to collect and load the container.

We currently and urgently need financial support to transport the container from the UK to Buea.

Download the donatiton Certificate here.

Read more about the SchoolPCs Project.

2.    The Problem:
We have relied on freewill donations, gifts and meager funds raised from our IT Centre to be able to run our non-profit organization called Helps International (HINT). However, shortage of funds has always been a huge hindrance to implementing our mission to improve the social and economic well-being and health of the poor and under privileged in our society through education, skill development and job creation. We have projects in the areas of IT training for underprivileged youths, educational support for orphans/underprivileged children; micro-loans for rural women; HIV/AIDS sensitization and information/training seminars. Most of the time, the progress of these projects has been hampered due to lack of funds. Over the years, these projects have expanded as the needs become enormous but there has not been a corresponding increase in the amount of funds needed to support these programs.

3.    The Solution:
Therefore, instead of continue to rely on spontaneous donations from our partners (to whom we are very thankful for their generosity in the past), we will like to work with them (current partners) to establish a profitable social enterprise that will generate the funds needed to support our on-going projects and to initiate new ones. After research I have discovered that sale of computers and accessories is one of the most profitable businesses in the country now. Calculations have shown that the business will generate about 21,091,250 million CFA XAF (US$ 42,781) annually.

4.    Implementation:
The business idea is to ship 400 refurbished Pentium 4 computers to Cameroon and sell. Some of the computers will also be used to set up 2 additional IT centers that will employ a number of people too.

5.    Fundraising:
The fundraising strategy is to get 2753 people all around the world who will donate $25 each. This will raise US$ 68,831, the needed start-up capital for the business. This amount will cover cost of shipping, seaport clearing and setting up the sales centre in Buea, Cameroon. I will be launching an online appeal for donations as soon as all plans are made concrete. I will also be in the USA between May and August 2009 mainly to raise these funds. I hope to visit churches, organizations, individuals with whom we have a relationship and trust that all needed funds will be realized by October 2009. Shipping should take place in November/December 2009.

6.    Logistics:
I should have asked for hardware donations but that would be difficult to assemble and ship. We will work with an organization such as interconnection.org in Seattle, USA that assembles and ships refurbished computers to the developing world. I am also researching the possibility of shipping from computeraid.org in the UK or from Dubai, wherever shipping cost will be minimal with high quality computers. Mr. Paul Fonkwo a Cameroonian based in CA who has been shipping PCs to Cameroon will be providing advice and help.

7.    Accountability/Transparency:
All funds will be collected and managed by the following organization:

Hope Outreach International Ministries (HOIM)
10993 N Harrell’s Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70816
Phone: 225-272-5432
Fax: 225-272-6805
Email: hopeoutreach @ gmail.com
Website: http://www.hopeoutreachinternational.org/

HOIM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and will manage all in-coming and out-going funds for this project and issue tax-deductible receipts to all donors. Financial records will be available to all donors at the end of the fundraising drive, and also upon request.

8.    Business Ability:
I developed a Business Plan for a similar project while at Santa Clara University in 2006 while attending the Global Social benefit Incubator (GSBI). I received a full scholarship (US$ 25,000) to attend this highly prestigious and competitive business training opportunity because of the impact we were already making in the lives of young people in our community through IT. My desire for social and economic change especially among the youths and the need for our NGO to be financially sustainable are the main motivations for such project.

Implementation of this project will provide a permanent base of financial support for the work of HINT and we will not have to continually ask our friends and donors to support our work year-in year-out. I believe if you had to make a choice, you would rather teach someone how to fish than to give him fish. By supporting this project at this time, you are actually making provision for years to come.

9.   Budget:
To see details of how the capital will be invested click here.

10.   Conclusion:
I will greatly appreciate your suggestions, thoughts, advice, opinion or any kind of support on this project. Just use the form below to comment.

Thank you.

Genesis G. Tinshu
Executive Director/Helps International (HINT)

http://www.hintonline.org

Cell Phone: +237 76274131
Email: tinshu @ hintonline.org

Solution: Conscious of this need, Helps International (HINT) in partnership with Computers for Africa (C4A), UK will undertake to install computer labs in primary and secondary schools all over Cameroon. This will help bridge the digital divide and expose students and teachers to the large amount of information available on the Internet. Primary school labs will have a maximum of 10 computers while secondary and high school labs will have a maximum of 20 computers. The first phase will aim at providing general exposure to computers and training on how to use a computer. The second phase will aim at providing Internet access. About 20 school labs and 2 community centres will be set up with a 20ft container of 250 computers.

Project Name: School PCs

Funding requirements: Funds will be needed to ship computers from the UK to the Douala International seaport; clear the container from the port, transport it to Buea, and install software on the computers ready for deployment in schools. The total cost is CFA 4,599,000 to install 20 labs in 20 schools and 2 community centres. We need your support to make this project a reality. Please do not hesitate to help.

Organization and its expertise: HINT has been involved with IT projects since its inception in 2003. Our first Community IT Training Centre was set up in 2005 and since then we have provided training and access to IT services to community members and especially underprivileged youths. Over 1200 youths have been trained through our two IT Centres over the last four years.

Genesis G. Tinshu
Executive Director
Helps International (HINT), Cameroon
Email: genesis @ hintonline.org
Cell Phone: +237 76 27 41 31

Entire Proposal can be downloaded by clicking here.

Training is a major component of our work. Since 2003, HINT has trained more than 600 youths and community members to be able to use the computer and Internet. So many of our trainees have been able to gain employment as well as access the world of opportunities that the Internet offers. This way, we are contributing in a significant way to bridging the digital divide between the developed and developing countries. We provide training at our centres, and also in the clients? offices. Here is a rundown of the courses we offer:

Basic Training

Our Basic Training Program lasts for 10 weeks, covering a total of 150 hours. Classes runs from 8:00am-11:00am and from 6:00pm-9:00pm

• Computer Basics
• MS Windows
• Internet
• Emailing
• MS Word
• MS Excel
• MS Access
• MS PowerPoint

Advanced Training

• Web Design (HTML and CSS)
• Networking (A+ Certification)
• Hardware & Software Maintenance
• Desktop Publishing (MS Publisher and QuarkExpress)
• Photo editing (Adobe PhotoShop)
• Computerized Accounting

Our newest project, School PCs in parttnership with Computers for Africa in the UK is making access to ICTs possible for school children in Cameroon.

In 2007, we set up our second IT Training Centre in Buea, thanks to a 500 British Pound donation from the Computing Services Department at Oxford University. This was made possible thanks to the efforts of Joseph Talbot a staff of Oxford University who volunteered for HINT for 11 months from 2006 to 2007.

Access to affordable Bandwidth is still a major issue in Cameroon and most of Affrica.

This time, he came to be married to Jane whom he mot and loved while volunteering here! What a changed life!

Tobias, we are thankful for your donation of computer accessories including hard disk drives, voltage regulators, RAMs, etc.

To do this, Inveneo creates and sells highly affordable and sustainable ICTs that are specifically designed for organizations — governments, NGOs, private enterprises — that serve these rural communities with vital services that include education, healthcare, economic development, relief and telecenters. Our ICTs are designed to overcome challenges that these organizations face:

• Lack of dependable, if any, electricity
• Extremely high cost of power
• Prevalence of heat, dust, moisture and humidity, often punishing conditions for ICTs
• Lack of affordable access to Internet and telephony services
• Novice users and administrators

This partnership follows HINT’s participation in Inveneo’s workshop in Cameroon in November 2007.

Becoming a certified ICIP means we can sell and install Inveneo equipment.

More here: http://www.inveneo.org/?q=ictpartners#cameroon