Ask Slashdot: Geeky Volunteer Work?

An anonymous reader writes "I plan to be in-between jobs for 1-2 months later this year and use part of this time to do some volunteer work in Africa. My naive question: what to do and where to go? Is it possible to make good use of the skill-set of a typical geek? Any interesting projects worth supporting on-site?"

Nigeria...

[stretch0611]

You can teach the poor downtrodden deposed ex-kings how to get through spam filters.

Re:Why Africa?

[Overzeetop]

Look, senior centers and schools aren't THAT bad. Just remember to wash your hand frequently, don't put anything in your mouth that hasn't been washed, and don't leave any cut or scratch uncovered.

Oh, you meant Africa. Sorry.

Re:Open-source software.

[larry bagina]

Ubuntu was founded by an African. Helping out with Ubuntu is probably the best way to help Africa. I recommend installing Ubuntu on your computer, as well as any other computers you have access to (your friends, parents, library computers, etc). And spread the word on blogs, forums, mailing lists etc.