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LOCAL Thursday 4 augusT 2022

Re-Tech, an impactful grassroots

initiative and collaboration

Oranjestad - "Re-Tech” started in 2019 were no longer in use.
when FUTURA (Aruba Futura Foundation)
launched its initiative to recycle discarded In the past, FUTURA, the Metabolic Founda-
computers, hardware, materials, and de- tion, and SKOA re-distributed computers,
vices. hardware, and other material to schools.
In June 2022, Futura collaborated with the
Most people buy new devices like com- EPB Foundation to re-distribute 105 devices
puters, tablets, or smartphones and dis- consisting of computers, towers, monitors,
card them when they get old or not used keyboards, mice, telephones, and more.
anymore. The same applies to companies, EPB will reuse these devices in its new cur-
organizations, and departments that re- riculum of ICT Support.
place older devices when the older mod-
els still function. If discarded devices are FUTURA is grateful to the Government of
not re-distributed or recycle, they will end Aruba for its support and all their partners to find out how to collabo- to educational institutions
up in the trash and ultimately in the dump. in the private, d public, and academic rate with the re-distribution and students who can use
sectors for making ‘Re-tech’ a reality. A of these unused devices these.q
In 2019 FUTURA started collecting comput- special thanks to the EPB Foundation and
ers, hardware, and other materials and the community for their support.
technological parts from offices and re-
distribute these to different schools and Re-Tech is a grassroots initiative, an exam-
school boards that need these. In 2021, ple of how you can achieve great things
FUTURA collaborated with EPI Students and mitigate the impact on the environ-
as part of a leadership class. EPI students ment through collaboration.
had to design the initiative and create a
name, logo, slogan, and strategy to col- If your organization has devices no longer
lect as many devices as possible. That is in use but still functioning like computers
how they came up with the name "Re- etc, contact Futura at hello@futuralab.org
Tech" and its slogan ‘Giving technology a
second chance’.

From 2019 until July 2022, FUTURA and other
partners collected 815 devices consisting
of computers, monitors, keyboards, mice,
phones, printers, beamers, cables, and
other technological accessories. Organi-
zations and Government Departments,
private companies, and the community
helped with donating these devices that