[imc-tech-solidarity] update: tech-solidarity-project status

[evan]

Summary:
	Ecuador
	Meeting/Decisions
	Fundraising
	Oakland
	Portland
	Sao Paulo, Brazil
	Buenos Aires, Argentina
	Mercy Corps
	Peru/Bolivia


Ecuador:
	First i'm happy to announce that the computers have been liberated
	from the evil clutches of the customs agency in Quito. Each group
	receiving the computers will have to pay $25 a computer to cover
	the rather extensive, $4500, costs incurred during the 5 months the
	computers sat in customs.

Meeting/Decisions:
	Pablo sent an email to the list asking that we meet to make decisions
	about this shipment. We need the liaisons from each of the
	participating imc's to find a time when we can meet in the next week.
	The critical decision is WHERE we ship these computers.

Fundraising / global feature:
	The feature requesting funds from www.indymedia.org readers has
	been posted. So far over $2500 has been raised through the donation
	appeal. This is about %35 of the $7000 we need for the project.
	But this almost covers the base shipping costs of $2800 we need to
	get the container from the west coast of the US to the east coast
	of south america. Right now we have a monthly expensive of $220
	for storage. As noted in micah's email ( http://tinyurl.com/auh9 )
	some money was already transfered out to cover this month's
	storage costs.
	
	We have received no foundation funding for this project which has
	met with the approval of some of the receiving imc's. Perhaps we
	should request money from the imc-global funds.

Oakland:
	Mic moved the computers to a commercial self storage facility in
	Richmond (near Oakland). It cost her $400 to move it and we are
	paying $220 a month to store the computers. Micah proposed
	( http://tinyurl.com/auh9 ) and got no objections to the idea of
	using some of the money donated via pay pal to reimburse people
	for this month's storage expenses. The boxes in Oakland are ready
	to ship as soon as the paperwork is figured out.

Portland:
	They have not yet raised the money needed for the DIMM's (RAM
	memory). This is what is holding up that end of the project.
	Right now Seattle has some more computers to donate but there
	is a question about how much space we can use at the FreeGeek
	warehouse in Portland.

Sao Paulo, Brazil:
	The Sao Paulo imc has been working with a import/export lawyer and
	they believe that they will be able to get an import tax exemption.
	They propose that the whole container be shipped to Sao Paulo, and
	that they use their free shipping within ecuador to ship the
	computers for other countries to Porto Alegre. From there the
	Uruguay and Argentina imc's will have to figure out a way to get the
	boxes across the border.

	Sao Paulo proposal in english: http://tinyurl.com/9zuh

Buenos Aires, Argentina:
	The Buenos Aries imc has had a difficult week, getting evicted from
	their offices. But they are working on their import papers and also
	have a letter to explain the project to MercyCorps with the hope
	that they will assist with shipping costs. Their letters will be
	sent to the imc-tech-solidarity list tonight or tomorrow.
	Loulee's update in english: http://tinyurl.com/auh0

MercyCorps:
	The folks at MercyCorps are interested in supporting the indymedia
	tech solidarity project but they think we are disorganized. For
	this reason Loulee is writing up a formal proposal and outline
	of a distribution plan that we can give to MercyCorps. The project
	has been stalled, but hopefully we will renew interest from
	the folks at MercyCorps when we provide them with the requested
	documenation. To review, MercyCorps is considering providing the funds
	to cover the shipping portion of the project.

Peru/Bolivia:
	Two computers from the Ecuador IMC were given to the Lima collective
	of the Peru IMC. A laptop and a desktop were to activists with the
	Qollasuyu Indymedia collective in Peru. And another desktop computer
	has been given to to the La Paz collective of Bolivia indymedia.
	This will be their only computer but allows them to open an office
	in the building of a human rights group. All of these computers where
	shipped the old fashioned way, being stuffed in people's backpacks.



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