But in much of the world there are communities that not only don't have access to the computer technology, but also don't have the readily available, cheap electricity that we in the United States take for granted.

Over the past two years, an innovative project has attempted to change this situation and put technology in the hands of some South African students. Alan Field and Donna Wainwright of Massachusetts started by bringing computers to the district of KwaZulu-Natal, an economically disadvantaged region near the town of Dundee. As Donna tells it, "There was overwhelming interest in the computer project. Most adults and students had never touched a computer. In one rural school where we set up six computers, the principal told us that none of the 135 students had even seen a computer before, though one seventh-grader reported once seeing a picture of one."

One important feature of Alan's and Donna's approach is to salvage from individuals and businesses in this country old hardware that would otherwise wind up in community landfills. These computer systems that we see as obsolete are still very functional and useful for South African students who have never had the chance to use computers before.

Their work made for two busy months, as Alan and Donna faced the challenge of getting the computers up and running at so many different sites. And there were some logistical problems, too. "Slightly less than half the 52 schools in the district have electricity," explains Donna. "Others were without any phone service or simply could not afford to pay the bill, so they had been cut off. Even with a local Internet service provider, the cost for a few emails a day is prohibitive for the township schools. For the computers, we obviously focused on the 24 schools that do have electricity. We still had a lot of work to do with wiring and extension cord set-ups to enable use of the computers and printers."

Alan and Donna worked intensively every day that they were in South Africa. The rewards were great, according to Alan: "It's hard to convey how privileged we felt to be making this sort of difference and to be feeling so at home in the community."

The hope is that these computers can stimulate educational progress and community development. By acquiring computer and communications skills, the young people in these South African schools will have greater opportunities for finding employment.

For the community, Alan and Donna also hope that the project fosters an awareness of the environment and health issues among the students and adults. Access to computers and the Web can open up a new world of information that can lead to a better understanding the importance of protecting their environment.