HP Donates $2.7 Million in Calculators to Students Worldwide

Nov 6, 2012 3:45 PM ET

by Michael_Thacker

Imagine the difficulty of preparing for a high-stakes exam without having the tools that could help ensure success? That’s exactly the situation HP hopes to remedy with its calculator donation program. Students who were unable to pass their exams without a calculator can now take their exams and improve their math and science skills. Recently, HP donated more than $2.7 million in advanced graphing and scientific calculators to underserved education institutions around the world.

Products donated range from HP 30s and HP 300s scientific calculators for middle and high school students to HP 40gs and HP 50g graphing calculators designed for advanced math at high schools and universities. One college student, Umiro Tarawalie from Sierra Leone, stated, “The calculator I got is the perfect one that I need for my calculations and graphs in the engineering department. I am so happy with this [HP 50g] calculator that I have passed half of my exams already."

Yusifu Mansaray, who attends a vocational training center in Sierra Leone, was pleased to receive his HP 30s calculator. “I had started to work on someone’s farm to gather money to buy a scientific calculator for one week now and was unable to afford one. It is a great relief that these calculators have come at a time when we badly need them to sit our final exams at the agricultural survey department. I will now use the time I spent to look for money to buy a calculator to study for my exams.”

This initiative marks the largest donation of calculators in HP history with units being distributed to schools in need throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. In conjunction with HP Sustainability and Social Innovation, HP selected the nonprofit Good 360 to distribute the calculators through an open bid process to its affiliated charities and schools in more than seven countries. 

In Asia, technical-vocation students in Cebu City in the Philippines received HP 40gs graphing calculators as well as scientific calculators for elementary school students. Vietnam is implementing an educational opportunity program where its top-performing high school students will receive graphing calculators, with elementary school students benefiting from HP EasyCalc 300s calculators as well.

With these donations, HP continues its commitment to philanthropic efforts worldwide and the advancement of education solutions for students. For more information on HP Calculators, visit www.hp.com/calculators.