Welcome to Wings for West Africa!

Our Mission

Wings for West Africa is dedicated to the promotion and support of students, teachers and administrators in rural schools in West Africa by providing them with computer technology and support. Wings is committed to the development of opportunities for educational and cultural exchanges between African and American schools. We are also committed to the development of a recycling center in West Africa in order to responsibly deal with the end life of computers we send there as well as other electronic waste in order to protect the local environment.

Our Geographic Focus

The global digital divide increases the tendency of the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. While the Internet has become central to development especially in Europe and North America, Africa lags far behind. Africa has 14.8% of the world’s population but they make up only 5.6% of those with access to the Internet globally. By comparison, 77.4% of North Americans had access to the internet in 2010. (Internet World Stats, 2011). While the Internet threatens to increase existing socio-economic disparities and, potentially, global stability, it also presents an opportunity for developing countries to bridge that gap.

Students in poor countries tend to be highly motivated. Those attending rural schools in West Africa often walk for many miles each day. Some even go without lunch in order to attend.

Without a computer, all school records must be copied manually. Lessons must be written out by hand on the board due to insufficient textbooks and inaccessible copying facilities.

Wings Work with the Help of its Partners

• Wings collects, reformats, refurbishes and ships computers to schools in communities which lack access to the Internet.
• Wings trains teachers in the use of information technology to support the established curriculum and the installation and maintenance of computers.
• Wings develops self-sustaining programs through small user fees charged to outside users.
• Wings supports community development by making school computer centers accessible.
• Wings creates opportunities for educational and cultural exchanges between American and African schools.
• Wings respects the environment by keeping donated computers out of landfills.

Our Accomplishments

• To date, Wings for West Africa has shipped 1,185 refurbished computers to rural West African schools.
• Self-sustaining computer centers have been established in over 100 schools. Their administration, medical staff and merchants have been able to conduct research and network with their peers in other villages.
• Approximately 120,000 students have become computer literate. Their teachers are able to develop, download, save and share lesson plans.