Every so often, I get an email from someone hoping to receive a computer.
The circumstances really vary.
Groups running activities for children, as we do. Children living apart from their parents in children’s homes. Children of single mothers who do not want to put more of a burden on their mothers. International students from abroad. We have also heard from staff at a children’s self-reliance support facility who, with a parent’s heart, wrote that they wanted the children to learn to use computers.
When we are able to send a computer to places like these, those are the moments I feel this work is worth doing.
From Ishigaki Island in Okinawa in the south to Aomori in the north, we send them out.
The real cost
Giving away computers is not as simple as you might think.
Most of the computers we deliver are ones we spent money to obtain. We refurbish them and give them away for free. Including obtaining, refurbishing, and delivering them, each one costs about 30,000 yen on average. Since we take no money from the people who receive them, we are deep in the red.
It would be ideal if companies made donations and that kept things running. In reality, hardly any donations come in, whether of money or of computers. We are always paying out of our own pocket.
Some computers we obtain are too worn out to give away, and sometimes we only notice one is broken after installing the software. All sorts of things happen, so the refurbishing is hard work too.
I don’t mean to make a show of how hard it is, but keeping this going is not so simple.
Why I keep going
So why do we give away computers?
To bring light to children who want to learn. To close the digital divide. Those are the reasons on the surface. But my biggest motivation comes from inside me.
When I was a child, I wanted a computer, but for financial reasons I could not get one. I was not able to buy one until I was an adult. Even now, I do sometimes think about how it would have been to have a computer as a child.
I suppose I want to give them to children like the one I was.
It may sound a little strange, but for me, giving away computers is like “giving a computer to my past self.” That feeling is what drives this work.
I am very happy to be thanked. But in this work, there is no end of things that go unrewarded. The moment a computer is sent, people vanish without even confirming it arrived. People say they wish they had gotten a computer with better specs. When a computer breaks down, people make snide remarks that we sent them a broken one.
Even so, I don’t get discouraged. I’m not doing this to be rewarded for anything...
Well... that said, I’m only human, so a facility or anyone else that behaves that rudely will never get another one from me.
If you are hesitating to apply
So, I do this simply because I want to, and there is no catch of any kind. If you are a child who cannot buy a computer for financial reasons, or the parent of one, please apply without hesitation. We give priority to those cases. On the application form, please describe your situation as specifically as you can. When we can see the need, it is easier for us to give you priority. We will not pry into the details or do anything to make you feel indebted, so please apply with peace of mind.
Staff at facilities and groups that work with children are also welcome to contact us. If there are children who could benefit, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Where needed, we can also teach computer skills.
Our supply is limited, so you may have to wait.
On the other hand, applying with no interest in computers, applying casually with a “sure, if it’s free” attitude, or sending us “Please give me a computer!” with no reason at all: please don’t do these things. We will not even reply, and we ask for your understanding. I want to give these to the people who need them.
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Details and how to apply are on the Kids PC Bank page. Individuals, whether the child or a parent, can apply using the application form (in Japanese). Groups can apply through the contact page.