There are also wonderful sides of help and support. Please read more about a very clever and creative “Cow-and-Computer-Idea”

Our partner is currently testing a pilot programme with five computer labs in Laos. Aside from the ongoing training requirements for the computer teachers, the long-term sustainability of the computer labs was one of the main challenges. Today desktops have a life expectancy of 5-7 years maximum. What will happen when the desktops break? How can the school replace them? One school in Laos has found the ideal solution; cows! The school charges the students an affordable fee to use the computer labs and invests the savings into cows. Now the school has a small herd of cows which also reproduce. The herd is being taken care of by the teachers and boarding students. The idea is that when a computer breaks they will sell a cow and buy a new computer! In average a female cow has its first calf at around 2 years of age. A cow’s life expectancy is between 7-10 years but the best price is achieved at 4-5 years which is the life expectancy of our desktops. The price of one full grown cow is roughly equal to a basic desktop computer!

Absolutely brilliant idea!