Hans J Marter

24 March, 2006

A SHETLAND charity for the disabled has taken delivery of 23 computers for an IT project that aims to give disadvantaged people communication skills and computer training.

Simon Rooksby, of Sussex based 'Computers for Charities', has just arrived with a van load of laptops, PCs and other IT equipment for Disability Shetland.

For the last ten years Disability Shetland have been providing disabled people throughout the isles with second hand computers to provide IT training and to allow them to communicate with the world via Internet and e-mail.

Computers for Charity redistribute the vast amount of computers that are being replaced by corporate companies on a two to three year cycle.

The charity supports and initiates projects in Africa and Asia, but since last year has also been in Shetland on a regular basis in support of IT projects run by Disability Shetland.

Mr Rooksby said: "The purpose of Computers for Charities is to empower people, develop people. Throughout the year we get about 30,000 enquiries worldwide for projects.

"We are not short of things to do or projects to support, but if you go through all the requests there are certain things that stick out. Shetland by nature, being where it is, it struck a chord. We are not doing a comparison between Shetland and Africa, but we feel that there are needs here too."

Mr Rooksby said he also was in Shetland to try to develop other projects such as vocational training modules for repairing and refurbishing computers.

More information on the charity can be found at: www.computersforcharities.co.uk