For years, Garfield’s technology students have traveled the globe, giving rebuilt computers to people of need in schools, orphanages, and communities. This year, this mix of computer skills, international exchange, and giving help to those in need will go a step further. Talks are underway to establish computer rebuilding labs, modeled after Garfield’s, as the basis for a new technology program in Ghana.

If all goes well, the project will set up a system for Ghana to be able to rebuild computers, and set up labs around the country, mirroring Garfield’s rebuilding lab. The tentative plan for the project is to have computer rebuilding, which includes updating hardware and reinstalling operating systems and software, happen on the university level. Ghana wants to establish an initial lab in its polytechnic university, and if that is successful set up labs in nine more polytechnic institutes. The labs would be designed to operate like Garfield’s.

Garfield’s technology program has taken computers to more than a dozen countries, through Rotary-sponsored Computers for the World. The Ghana project takes a different approach and is working with different organizations. In the past, students have rebuilt computers and taken them in groups of about 100 to countries in need. Students then do basic instruction and leave the computers, with follow up communication through email to maintain labs. With the Ghana project, Garfield would both bring computers and help establish a program that will have Ghanaians doing the rebuilding of the computers and setting up the labs, allowing them to be self-sufficient.

“Our goal is to make them self-sufficient, not dependent on us,” said technology teacher Kjell Rye, who is in charge of the Garfield end of the project. “The goal is for them to rebuild, them to maintain, them to educate.”

Rye first met with Ghanaian dignitaries on September 18, when government ministers and the President of the House of Chiefs visited Garfield to observe and learn about the process and organization of the rebuilding program.

Currently, some universities and schools in Ghana have computer education programs, but they have very few computers. Most of the learning is theoretical. Garfield’s help in establishing actual computer labs and labs to rebuild more computers for the country would give students in Ghana actual hands on experience.

For the past few years Ghana has been looking at different computer and rebuilding programs around the world. They were inspired to look at Garfield after the Garfield marketing class trip to Ghana in April, 2002. The marketing students brought nine computers from the technology academy’s rebuilding lab. The President of the House of Chiefs saw the Garfield team on the news and had someone contact the school. In August, 2003, a deputy minister was sent to Seattle and came to Garfield to look at the technology lab. From September 19 – 21 the President of the House of Chiefs and the ministers came to Seattle to attend the Pacific Institute, a leadership conference, and used the opportunity to visit Garfield. In the meeting, they first discussed the idea of a rebuilding program, and then made more specific plans.

Garfield’s computer rebuilding program appealed to the Ghanaian ministers because of its flexibility. After meeting with Rye, both the Minister of Education and the President of the House of Chiefs called President John Agyekum Kufuor to discuss the plan with him.

“[This is a] golden opportunity to put in a request for you to see the possibilities,” said the President of the House of Chiefs, who heads the kings of Ghana’s tribes, at a meeting with Rye. “My people actually need the modern technology that we have seen at your school.”

If the project is successful it could have great influence on technology in Ghana. However, there are many obstacles in the way. So far, talks have only been preliminary, and there are many issues to be discussed and later finalized, along with outside support that must be obtained. Funding is an issue. Ghana is responsible for funding the project, but it is hoped that outside organizations will be able to help procure funding. Potential partners in the project include the Pacific Institute and the World Affairs Council, representatives of which have been meeting with Rye in this week. These talks, and continuing exploration of possible partnerships in the project will play an important role in finally determining the scope and sequence of the project.

Rye hopes that the project will progress quickly enough that a team of Garfield students and teachers will be able to travel to Ghana with over 100 finished and unfinished computers in the next year. Once there, they would help set up the lab and teach computer rebuilding and lab management, with the Ghanaian students able to do the process on their own by the time the Garfield team leaves.

“They’ll use the system we set up to rebuild not just hundreds but thousands of computers,” said Rye. “We want to create independence. Our goal is to make ourselves obsolete.”