I commit to providing at least 10 used laptops to Tibetan refugees in Dharamasa, India.

Goals

After returning from Dharamsala, India, where I worked on community development projects for Tibetan refugees, I felt the need to further help the refugees in India and their families in China. I knew that my Tibetan friends in India suffer from both unemployment and an inability to communicate with their family members in China. I plan to work with the New Orleans branch of Louisiana Himalayan Association, the non-profit organization I worked with in India, to organize a “Laptops for Tibetans Drive” to collect used or broken laptops for Tibetan refugees. With a means to connect to the internet, Tibetan refugees will be able to communicate with distant family members in Tibet, search for jobs, apply for visas and passports, as well as benefit from the educational aspect of the internet. Instead of waiting for the benefits of large economic development plans to trickle down to the community members in Dharamsala, this project will instead provide a small interim development to assist the Tibetan refugees.

I plan to reach out to local businesses who regularly replace/update their computer infrastructure. The student body at Tulane is also an important and untapped resource for laptops, as many students often question what to do with their broken or old laptop collecting dust. For the broken computers, we will use the parts for repairs. The laptops will then be sent with students participating in the summer Tulane program in Dharamsala, India, “Compassion in Action” and will be placed in Louisiana Himalayan Association’s computer laboratory.

Plan

For the "Laptops for Tibetans" drive, I will send out letters to local businesses explaining the purpose of the drive, and then organize a group of dedicated students to help contact businesses in-person for collection of broken or used laptops. We will also increase campus awareness of the laptop drive with flyers and Facebook advertisements. I believe that if students are aware of the opportunity to donate their broken laptop to a good cause, they will opt to donate instead of disposing the laptop in the dumpster behind their dorm. I also plan to hold "Laptop Days" where students will be awarded for donating a computer on that particular day.