Any old Pentiums, any old Pentiums, any, any, any old Pentiums

Charitable organisation Computer Aid International has today announced that a campaign to refurbish and donate old Pentium PCs, launched last June, has already turned around 5,000 computers for distribution in developing countries.

The campaign doubled the numbers of machines being donated to Computer Aid, which has refurbished 15,000 PCs since it was founded in 1998.

Tony Roberts, Director of Computer Aid International, said: "We would like to say a big "thank you" to everyone who supported our 2002 campaign. However, there is still an enormous demand for refurbished computers in developing countries where 99 per cent of children leave school without ever touching a computer in the classroom. We have a long way to go."

Computer Aid is planning to move to new larger premises in London with capacity to handle even greater volumes of PCs. The aim is to generate donations of another 15,000 Pentium PCs by the end of the year. The opening of a new regional branch in Southampton is in place and a recruitment drive for both London and Southampton is now underway.

A recent survey revealed the dangers inherent in passing on company PCs - with many still containing sensitive data - but Computer Aid International assures those donating machines that all PCs are 'sanitised' using US Department of Defense approved software. This repeatedly overwrites every disk sector to ensure sensitive data is unrecoverable before the PC is reconfigured and bundled with a monitor, mouse and keyboard ready for shipment.

For further information, and details on how to donate old PCs, email info@computer-aid.org or visit the site visit www.computer-aid.org.