Enriching the lives of our underprivileged citizens living with HIV/AIDS

These days many social service agencies are finding themselves with much of the funding they have depended on to serve their clients being cut. It is for this reason that I decided to take action and find a way to contribute my time. There is much talk of supporting the fight against HIV and AIDS abroad. I am still interested in pursuing such an avenue, yet with little money to send and an even smaller possibility of currently being able to travel abroad and help in-person I chose to focus on my immediate community.

Two years ago I met with the program director at The Frannie Peabody Center of Portland, Maine to discuss how to put my computer repair and troubleshooting skills to use and benefit the clients of the center. Our discussion was exciting as he had long felt the need to help bring personal computing technology to the less fortunate clients served by the center. At the end of that meeting we decided to implement a plan to gather donated computer component donations and repair/prepare them so that we could award fully functional personal computer systems to clients in need.

For reasons of confidentiality I do not have the opportunity to meet those ultimately served by my efforts. Neither do I view my work as a ‘thankless’ task—I trust and have faith that these computer systems will enhance the recipients’ lives, as I know computer technology has mine. A computer has the potential to open up an abundance of opportunities for someone who struggles with the isolation and stigma that living with HIV/AIDS presents.

As I see it there are three primary benefits for this population having access to a computer. First, there are online communities that provide support and social contact important to the specific difficulties these people experience. Second, having access to the Web and many health-related sites greatly enhances the ability that these people have to educate themselves regarding living with HIV/AIDS. Lastly, for those who possess entrepreneurial skills, a computer presents the potential to be productive and supplement the severely limited income that the disabled often experience.

Through this work at The Frannie Peabody Center we have awarded 14 computer systems over the two-year life of the program. In the scope of the bigger picture this is a small number, yet it has kept with our original conservative estimates.
There is still more work to be done, fine-tuning aspects of the program, tailoring letters for the donations, accepting and repairing computer donations. As such, I expect that this work will yield long-lasting benefits both to those we have served. I know now that I am ‘in it for the long haul,’ that I can and will take this experience and these newfound skills anywhere I go.