[Server-devel] antitheft:: avoiding the need

[jbalcomb at laptopstolesotho.org]

We got around the need for antitheft measures with a community-based
approach.  This may not work in all communities, but it has worked very
well for us.

BEFORE distributing any computers for student use, we held meetings with
all participants, including teachers, students, parents, and the
community.  After getting their input, we guided the teachers and school
administrators in developing a written set of rules and regulations for
the project, with four sets of contracts that the students, parents,
teachers, and school administration had to sign in order to participate in
the project.  We did this by posing a series of "what if" scenarios, and
then requiring the local educators to come up with answers that best
suited their school and community's culture, needs, and economic
situation.

Included in the contracts that resulted from this were "fine schedules"
and clearly defined consequences for any damage, loss, or theft of a
laptop.  Because we work in very poor communities, "work in lieu of fines"
for parents was included, with a very detailed schedule of hours and type
of work required.

One critical stipulation that we required to be included in the governing
documents was that, if a laptop goes missing (lost or stolen), the project
comes to a complete halt until there is a satisfactory resolution.  What
constitutes a satisfactory resolution is clearly defined in the documents.

Since deployment, within the school and immediate community, laptops can
be left unattended in classrooms and the school yard without worry.  This
is because they aren't ever really "unattended."  The entire community is
hyper-vigilant about keeping an eye on them.  When students or teachers
who live in other communities take laptops home, they are hyper-vigilant
about taking care of the laptops and protecting them, to the point that
one teacher who lives in an unsafe area will not even take his flash drive
home with him, let alone a laptop.  Their protectiveness is so strong that
one school paid to put burglar bars on the classrooms and storage room,
and another school hired a security guard for off-hours.

The result has been that 2½ years after deployment, we have not had a
single laptop damaged, lost, or stolen. This is especially impressive
considering that I was told repeatedly before we started about cases of
computer theft and vandalism at other computer projects in the country. 
We were told this would be a major impediment, but we proved them wrong.

Our approach was a long, grueling process, but by bringing the
participants into the process, allowing them to customize the governing
documents to meet their needs, and giving them complete control over the
outcome, we have not had to deal with any theft or vandalism.  That's not
to say it can't happen someday, or that it will be as effective in all
countries and communities, but I think it is essential to long-term
success to incorporate community involvement in the design,
implementation, and operation of any computer project.  The time invested
in laying the groundwork pays huge dividends in the long run.

Janissa Balcomb
Laptops to Lesotho Inc.
www.laptopstolesotho.org