Dubai: Used Emirates Post office computers destined for the local landfill will be refurbished by Dubai Municipality for underprivileged students in the UAE and abroad.
The postal carrier announced on Tuesday that it is sending computers to the municipal PC Refurbishment Centre in keeping with the government's social responsibility objectives.
The push mirrors global efforts, according to a study by Microsoft, which estimated that in 2008, 180 million computers were replaced around the world and 20 per cent of that number ended in landfills.
Microsoft cited one company, RDC of the UK, which over an eight-year period refurbished four million computers, enough to cover a soccer field up to 200 feet deep.
In the UAE, meanwhile, Mohammed Alashram, CEO of Emirates Post, said the firm was happy to work in concert with the municipality to make a difference in a child's life.
"Emirates Post is always keen to support humanitarian initiatives," said Alashram in a statement. "We are therefore pleased to join the noble project launched by Dubai Municipality to reduce environmental damage and spread IT knowledge by distributing refurbished PCs to needy schools locally and around the world."
Hamdan Al Shaer, head of Environment Department with Dubai Municipality, paid a visit to Emirates Post to thank Alashram and Ahmed Al Baid, acting assistant CEO IT Affairs of Emirates Post.
Al Shaer noted that the PC refurbishment centre, founded in 2007 in Al Qusais, has repaired thousands of used computers and forwarded them on to their new homes domestically and globally.
He said the effort was done in conjunction with Microsoft and distributed in cooperation with the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Foundation.
