In the later part of 2000, one of our founding members and volunteer of QuipuNet, relayed the possibility of a donation of 600 brand new computers (CPUs). These computers were not complete systems, as they did not include monitors, keyboards or mice. It would be Quipunet’s responsibility to complete the systems.
With little funding available, 4 committees were formed to work out the logistics and the funding for accepting, shipping and completing the computers. Two of these committees were in Peru, one in North Carolina and one in Washington State. One of the committees in Peru was charged with looking for methods of shipment that would cost QuipuNet little or nothing. The other committee in Peru was tasked with finding the funding to be able to complete the computer systems. The committee in North Carolina had to coordinate the acceptance and preparation for shipment of the computers. The committee in Washington State was to look into the shipping costs and the necessary paperwork that would be required.
Within a week, the first committee in Peru reported that they had found EIGER, a Non-governmental organization (NGO) that would commit to paying the shipping costs and in receiving the computers through Customs in exchange for 200 of the CPUs.
The second committee in Peru contacted many different schools, organizations, clubs, groups of people, parent associations who were willing to raise sufficient funds to complete computers for their organizations or schools. Even small children donated their allowances!
The Embrace a School project pledged to fund the completion of 40 computers to be donated to rural schools in Peru. Initially, the monitors and keyboards were to be purchased in the United States and shipped to Peru, but a committee in Peru had found that it would be cheaper to purchase those items in Peru.
By early 2001, all the necessary preparations had been made to accept and ship 543 computers. The committee in North Carolina stepped in and completed the task of packing the container for shipment. By April of 2001, the computers arrived in Peru. 200 CPUs were turned over to the NGO that had helped with the shipment. 343 computers, once they were completed as systems, were donated to 43 different organizations and schools, most of them in rural areas of Peru.