Arrow Electronics Collaborates with Nonprofit “Close the Gap” to Help Bridge the Digital Divide in Africa

CENTENNIAL, Colo., November 3, 2015 /3BL Media/ -- Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) and the nonprofit organizations Close the Gap and Hoops of Hope were profiled last night on the CBS program “Courage in Sports” for their efforts to turn used cargo containers into fully equipped digital classrooms and health clinics that can be deployed to remote areas of Africa.

“Courage in Sports”—which highlights powerful stories of courage, resilience and excellence in the face of adversity—followed Arrow and its nonprofit partners to the Tuleeni Orphanage in Tanzania in early August where they unveiled the first “DigiTruck” in Africa. The DigiTruck is now providing some 80 orphans at Tuleeni with a classroom full of high-quality, refurbished laptops, tablets and other IT equipment.

“Arrow Electronics is committed to finding innovative ways that technology can improve people’s lives,” said Michael J. Long, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arrow. “From our semi-autonomous motorcar (SAM) project that enabled a quadriplegic former racecar driver to realize his dream of driving again, to this DigiTruck project that is providing orphans in sub-Saharan Africa with their first computers, Arrow is guiding innovation forward in incredible ways. Close the Gap, Hoops of Hope and Neema International’s Tuleeni Orphanage are doing great work, and Arrow is fortunate to collaborate with such inspiring organizations.”    

According to UNESCO, more than 182 million adults in sub-Saharan Africa are unable to read or write, and 48 million young people are illiterate.[1] Access to information and communication technology is critical to improving a country’s educational and economic prospects. However, high equipment costs, poor infrastructure and limited proficiency all prevent this much-needed technology from reaching many parts of Africa.

“For more than 10 years, Close the Gap has been removing barriers to digital literacy in developing countries. More than 75 percent of the population in Africa live in rural communities where infrastructure presents a huge barrier—modern information and communication technologies coupled with solar-powered solutions like the DigiTruck are able to help bridge this digital divide and to bring quality training and education to remote communities. With the support of partners like Arrow Electronics, Close the Gap is honored to be a part of the work of Tuleeni Orphanage and make a positive impact in the lives of these orphans,” said Olivier Vanden Eynde, founder and managing director of Close the Gap.

The DigiTruck can accommodate up to 18 students at a time in a classroom setting. It is equipped with solar panels capable of fully powering it for several days at a time so it can reach remote rural villages with no electricity. The DigiTruck is also triple-insulated to protect against the heat and secured with double steel doors and bolted window shutters. Donated IT equipment refurbished by Arrow’s Value Recovery business inside the DigiTruck includes laptops, tablets, printers, routers and a LED TV flat-screen monitor. Local workers in Arusha, Tanzania helped to build the truck.

“Arrow Electronics and Close the Gap have the power to turn lives around,” said Mandy Stein, the founder and executive director of Neema International, the organization supporting the Tuleeni Orphanage. “They are changing my kids’ worlds—with the computers and Digitruck, their dreams now are within reach.”

The DigiTruck will spend the next several months at the Tuleeni Orphanage before moving onto its next location in 2016. Arrow will donate all of the laptops and IT equipment to the Tuleeni Orphanage when the DigiTruck moves on, providing a permanent learning environment for the orphans. Arrow will also outfit the DigiTruck with additional refurbished equipment for its next stops.

Working together, Arrow and Close the Gap plan to build and deploy a number of additional DigiTrucks throughout Africa. In fact, following Arrow’s sponsorship of Close the Gap’s first DigiTruck, four other companies pledged to sponsor similar units.    

Arrow’s Value Recovery business, which donated the refurbished electronic devices inside the DigiTruck, works with its customers to securely refurbish computers, tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices for additional use, or repurpose their still-valuable component parts for other uses. Whenever possible, Arrow emphasizes extending the life of these devices by selling them, redeploying them within organizations or donating them.

View the Courage in Sports segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoOSjU0FKc4&feature=youtu.be/

About the Tuleeni Orphanage and Neema International
Neema International is a nonprofit organization that is committed to investing in the lives of East Africa’s promising youth through education and sustainable building projects. Neema International is currently working with the Tuleeni Orphanage which is home to nearly one hundred orphaned and or vulnerable children. Tuleeni is located in the remote village of Rau in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania. To learn more, please visit http://neemainternational.org/.

About Close the Gap
Close the Gap is an international nonprofit organization that aims to bridge the digital divide by offering high-quality, pre-owned computers donated by large- and medium-sized corporations or public organizations to educational, medical, entrepreneurial and social projects in developing and emerging countries. All the projects are demand-driven and share the common denominator of being non-profit-oriented initiatives. Learn more at www.close-the-gap.org.

About Hoops of Hope
Hoops of Hope is the world’s largest free-throw marathon. Similar to a walk-a-thon, participants raise awareness and funds for children who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS by shooting free throws. One hundred percent of all funds raised through Hoops of Hope’s free-throw marathons go directly to care for orphan children in highly affected areas. Learn more at http://www.hoopsofhope.org/.

About Arrow Electronics
Arrow Electronics is a global provider of products, services and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for more than 100,000 original equipment manufacturers, contract manufacturers and commercial customers through a global network of more than 460 locations in 56 countries. Learn more at www.arrow.com.

About Courage in Sports
Developed by Chicago-based Intersport, “Courage in Sports” is entering its 26th year of celebrating the most incredible athletes in the world. Traditionally a one-hour television special aired each fall, this program highlights powerful stories of courage, resilience and excellence in the face of adversity. More than 100 stories have been explored since the first “Courage in Sports” aired 25 years ago.

About Intersport
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in the creation of sports and entertainment-based marketing platforms. Intersport creates unique content and experiences for clients that attract and engage passionate audiences through three divisions: Sponsorship & Event Marketing, Sports Properties, and Sports & Entertainment Content (for broadcast and digital media, including CelebTV.com). To learn more about Intersport, log on to www.intersportnet.com.

Media Contact:
Meghan Macdonald
mmacdonald@arrow.com
(303) 824-4589

[1] UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Adult and Youth Literacy: National, Regional and Global Trends, 1985-2015. June 2013