Close the Gap

Close the Gap is an international non-profit organisation that aims to bridge the digital divide by giving pre-owned computers donated by European companies, a new life in developing countries. Access to ICT is essential in the developing world because it is key to improving a country’s educational and economic prospects. However, the cost of new equipment, limited infrastructure and the lack of IT knowledge and proficiency mean that many people still have no access to IT. Today, information is seen as one of the major drivers of economic and social development and ICT makes access to information available on an unprecedented scale. Close the Gap collects decommissioned computers from companies and arranges for other organisations to clean the hard disks and then check and configure the hardware. The computers are then shipped to the destination country by sea or air transport, where they are used to support educational, medical and social projects. Since 2003, Close the Gap has already received more than 280,000 computer assets from companies all over Europe. Close the Gap not only provides computers to developing countries, but it also builds partnerships with organisations worldwide in order to deliver comprehensive software and hardware solutions to its recipients.