UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
Just like many other university students around the world, students in El Salvador must turn in typed assignments, browse the Internet for research and communicate with professors for assignments and grades. Those without the means to purchase a home computer or pay monthly Internet fees must frequent cyber cafes that charge at least $0.50 per hour or try to find an open computer at the public university in El Salvador where the current student to computer ratio is 100 to 1. (Department of Information Systems, University of El Salvador 2010)

Click Here To View A University Student's Story

NON-PROFITS
Non-profits rely on computers for affordable communication among staff members and with funders. NGOs that purchase new computers must not only pay $400+ for new computers but also hundreds of dollars per computer in software licenses. Additional costs are incurred when training local employees who may be sitting down at a computer for the very first time in their lives. Alternatively, an NGO may receive donated computers from international benefactors. Unfortunately, though well-intentioned, these computers often arrive unrefurbished and end up costing more in maintenance expenses than purchasing a guaranteed computer locally.

Click Here To View A Non-Profit's Story

SCHOOLS AND TEACHERS
Though some public schools in El Salvador do have computer labs, simply having computers in a classroom does not ensure they can be used as effective tools for education. Lack of up-to-date computers, teachers for training, Internet connectivity and budgets for maintenance continue to plague public schools. Lowering the costs of hardware, connectivity and maintenance is crucial to allowing schools to focus on educating students about how to use technology.

Click Here To View A School's Story

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
The vast majority of businesses in El Salvador are informal, family businesses that often struggle with basic bookkeeping, marketing, and keeping control of inventory levels. Additionally, just to stay up-to-date with market information or making orders, small business owners are forced to communicate over exceedingly expensive telephone networks. With affordable computers, Internet access, and basic training, small business owners can expand their market, improve their profitability, formalize their business and ultimately compete more effectively.

Click Here To View A Small Business Owner's Story