MANGROVE CAY, Andros - An island administrator in has rolled out an innovative plan that will see the community's children trade land crabs for laptops as they strive to stay connected with the world.

Now, the public can help the Andros children sell enough crabs to buy a laptop - simply by purchasing the crabs they catch. And administrator Gilbert Kemp says they have the "lowest price anywhere."

Kemp said the "Crabs for Computers" initiative has two major objectives: teach the island's children that hard work is rewarded and put them in a position to join the global village and hone their IT skills, despite their isolation on the island.

Photo: Children in Andros are aiming to sell enough crabs to each buy a laptop this summer. Photo from The Tribune

"We are getting the students of Mangrove Cay involved in positive initiatives this summer," he said. "The 'Crabs for Computers' program invites every student in the community to participate by going out and catching crabs that will in turn be sold to buy laptops for participating students.

"We expect that this program will be beneficial as it teaches our children that there is reward in hard work, while at the same time gives them an opportunity to secure one of the most valuable commodities of our time, a personal computer.

"We are looking to train and prepare our students for the global and technological environment. We don't want and won't allow the kids of the Mangrove Cay community to be left behind," said Kemp.

Kemp said the island's students are looking for "hand ups, not hand outs" to fulfil their goal.

"Mangrove Cay is a quaint island community with no major hotels or large businesses. The hard working and industrious residents live mainly off the sea. They are peaceful and hard-working, a trait that can be seen in the children who each year sell crabs to help support their families," said the local government official.

All Bahamians with "an interest in the advancement of our children and youth" are being encouraged to support the venture. Crabs will be sold "at a very competitive rate of $25 per dozen - the lowest price anywhere!" according to Kemp.

"We will ship them to you, just pick up your box from the boat," he added, suggesting that each child will probably have to sell at least 16 dozen crabs each to be able to afford a computer.

To make the initiative more worthwhile for the community, where many households do not have their own personal internet source, Kemp said arrangements have been made for WiFi internet hotspots to be made available around the island "so that everyone can connect to the internet with their new laptops at no additional costs to their already financially pressed families."

"I say to my kids not because we're in the back of the bush do we have to be out of touch with the rest of the world.

"Even though you might be isolated you live in a global village," said Kemp in an interview with The Tribune yesterday.

The administrator is in the process of setting up an account at the Bank of the Bahamas into which customers can pay for their crabs, and he is hoping that groups of individuals at workplaces or churches may get together to place orders.

In return, Kemp said he plans to send those groups a picture of a child who they are supporting, along with a biography and an update when they receive their computer.

Orders can be placed by calling 225-1837, 225-9041, 225-7263 or 556-9591.

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