Uganda
Donum Student Laptop Draw: a new laptop for a university student, every month
A degree now assumes a laptop. One a month, to a university student, by a draw anyone can check.
Planned project
This is a project we plan to build. None of the approvals it needs has been granted yet. Each one is listed below with its status, and nothing that needs an approval starts until it is granted.
Universities across Uganda. Each laptop is handed over at the winner's university.
2.5%
Households with a working laptop
Uganda, 2022 (NITA-U, 2022-09)
227,127
Students at degree-awarding institutions
73 institutions, 55 of them universities (Ministry of Education and Sports, 2026-01)
8.1 months
A new laptop, in household spending
of what an average household spends (CPAR Uganda, 2025-08-19)
$1,500 a month
The whole programme
at most, everything included
To build
$18,000
once
To run
$18,000
a year; Donum pays it all
Its share of the Donum Endowment
$450,000
running cost divided by 4%
In all
$468,000
opens February 2027 (planned)
$0 of $468,000
Pledge to this project Read the whole plan
If a project cannot go ahead, because an approval it needs is refused or its building has not begun within five years, everyone who gave to it is offered their money back or a move to another planned project.
Why it matters
- A degree in Uganda now assumes a computer: coursework is typed, research is online, and many courses use software that will not run on a phone. Yet in 2022 only 2.5% of households owned a working laptop, and 94% had no internet at home (NITA-U, 2022-09).
- Students reach the internet mostly through their phones. In a survey of university students in Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria, 98.8% went online by smartphone and 30% by laptop (Advances in Medical Education and Practice, 2022-06-08).
- A new laptop costs about UGX 4,600,000 in Kampala (A Kampala computer seller's listing, 2026-10-05): about 8.1 months of what an average household spends (UGX 566,862 a month) (CPAR Uganda, 2025-08-19), and more than a year's income per person (USD 1,020 in 2024) (Trading Economics, 2024).
- The government has said it too. Launching a laptop scheme for students in July 2025, the minister said that many universities and schools continue to lack adequate computer access (New Vision, 2025-07-26).
Read more
Uganda's universities and other degree-awarding institutions teach 227,127 students (Ministry of Education and Sports, 2026-01). Participation in higher education fell from 5.9% to 5.3% between 2020/21 and 2021/22, against a sub-Saharan average of 9.4% (PML Daily, 2024-04-13). A student who has a university place has already done the hard part; the draw is about the tool, not the place.
Refugee tertiary enrolment reached 11% worldwide in 2025, up from 9%, against a target of 15% by 2030 (USA for UNHCR, 2026-10-02). Refugee students at Uganda's universities apply like anyone else.
Donum Centre will put 1,000 free computers near Makerere University, but not before 2030, and only in Kampala. The draw reaches students at every university, from its first month.
Most students, even those whose families can pay fees, do not have a laptop good enough for their course. Whether a family could buy one cannot be proven fairly, so the draw does not try: every verified student has the same chance.
What the evidence says
In a randomised trial at a US community college, students given a free computer were 2 percentage points more likely to pass their courses and 1.9 points more likely to graduate, with larger effects for students who worked or travelled far (Royal Economic Society, 2012-06-08).
Read more
The same students' earnings did not rise in the years measured (NBER Working Paper 24276, 2018-02), and trials giving computers to schoolchildren found no effect on grades or test scores (NBER Working Paper 19060, 2013) (American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2017). So we do not promise better grades or higher pay.
What a laptop does change is access: to the software a course uses, to online coursework, and to the digital skills employers ask for. The IFC expects 230 million jobs in sub-Saharan Africa to need digital skills by 2030 (IFC, 2019-05-08); in Kenya, half or more of all jobs will (World Bank and IFC, 2021).
A draw is the fairest way to share something there is not enough of when need cannot be measured well: it keeps bad reasons out of the choice (Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, 2011-12-19), and people see it as fair and open (RAND Europe, 2007).
The winning number is a public random number from drand, signed by independent organisations every 3 seconds, that nobody can know in advance and anyone can check (drand, 2026-10-05). The list of tickets is fixed and published at least a day before that number exists.
What it is
A new laptop, owned outright, for one university student every month, picked by a free public draw that anyone can check, with one more winner for every laptop someone gives.
Read more: how we worked out what one year buys
One laptop a month at $1,500 at most is $18,000 a year. At 4%, that needs a share of the Donum Endowment of $450,000.
The laptop Donum has in mind costs about UGX 4,600,000 (about $1,260 at UGX 3,650) new in Kampala, with a two-year warranty (A Kampala computer seller's listing, 2026-10-05). The rest of the $1,500 pays for what goes with it, and for the checks, the draw and the handover. A laptop that costs less leaves more for the next one; one that costs more is not bought.
The first year's twelve laptops, $18,000, are the units on this page: each one given is one more winner in the next draw.
When it happens
Opens February 2027 (planned).
- Preparation
- Applications open
- The first draw
- For good
Read more: approvals and stages
Approvals
| Approval | From whom | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written confirmation that the draw is allowed under Uganda's law, with a licence if one is needed | National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board | Not yet granted | |
| Registration as a data controller, for applicants' details | Personal Data Protection Office | Not yet granted |
Its stages
- Preparation. Done means: Written confirmation from Uganda's National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board that the draw is allowed under Uganda's law; Donum registered with the Personal Data Protection Office; the identity check and the private document store working; the first laptop given.
- Applications open. Done means: The application page is live, the first applications are confirmed with their universities, and the first tickets are issued.
- The first draw. Done means: The first list closed and published, the round drawn live, the winner reached, and the laptop handed over at their university.
- For good. Done means: The draw's share of the Donum Endowment is in hand, so one laptop a month is paid for good, and every laptop given adds one more winner.
What it costs, and why
Where the running money goes
- The laptop and what goes with it: about $1,300 a month.
- Checks with universities, and the live draw: about $50 a month.
- The handover at the winner's university: about $150 a month.
- In all, never more than $1,500 a month. The database refuses to record a laptop delivered for more.
Running this place costs $18,000 a year. At 4% a year, that needs $450,000 invested in the Donum Endowment, which is never spent: only its returns pay the running costs, every year.
Every part
None yet. Choose All to see everything.
The first year: a laptop a month $18,000 · still needs $18,000 · Planned
-
One laptop for one student: the laptop and everything it costs to give, one more winner in the next draw
$18,000 · still needs $18,000 · Planned
$1,500 a laptop, 12 needed
How we reached this figure: At most $1,500 a month for everything (Joel, 5 October 2026)
-
Keeping it going: its share of the Donum Endowment $450,000 · still needs $450,000 · Planned
-
The laptop and what goes with it, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$390,000 · still needs $390,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $15,600 a year divided by 4%
-
Checks with universities, and the live draw each month, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$15,000 · still needs $15,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $600 a year divided by 4%
-
The handover at the winner's university, for good: paid every year from the endowment's returns
$45,000 · still needs $45,000 · Planned
How we reached this figure: $1,800 a year divided by 4%
-
Read more: running costs, line by line
| Running cost | A year |
|---|---|
| The laptop and what goes with it (a bag and a surge protector), new from an authorised seller, with its warranty | $15,600 |
| Checks with universities, and the live draw each month | $600 |
| The handover at the winner's university: travel, the photo, the signed confirmation | $1,800 |
| Total | $18,000 |
These are estimates, in 2026 prices. Before anything is bought, a quote from a builder or seller we checked replaces each one, and this page shows the change.
Who runs it, who pays, and who else is there
Read more: keeping it running
Each laptop belongs to the student who wins it from the day it is handed over, with its warranty. Donum keeps nothing back and asks for nothing in return. The programme costs at most $1,500 a month, everything included: the laptop and what goes with it, the checks with universities, the live draw and the handover. Until its share of the Donum Endowment is complete, each month's laptop is one that someone has given; once it is complete, the endowment's returns pay for one laptop a month for good, and every laptop given adds one more winner. A laptop not given in a month, because no ticket was valid or no winner could be reached, goes into the next draw.
Running it costs $18,000 a year, paid from the returns of its share of the Donum Endowment.
What it will achieve
- Twelve students a year own a new laptop for the rest of their degree and after, with its warranty. Every laptop someone gives adds one more winner.
- Every month, a public record anyone can check: how many verified students were in the draw, the list's fingerprint, the round, the random number, and the winning tickets.
- Over time, a count of how many winners finished their degree and what they did next, from two short follow-ups at 6 and 12 months that ask about study and work, never about how the laptop is used.
Read more: how we worked these numbers out
One laptop a month at $1,500 at most is $18,000 a year. At 4%, that needs a share of the Donum Endowment of $450,000.
The laptop Donum has in mind costs about UGX 4,600,000 (about $1,260 at UGX 3,650) new in Kampala, with a two-year warranty (A Kampala computer seller's listing, 2026-10-05). The rest of the $1,500 pays for what goes with it, and for the checks, the draw and the handover. A laptop that costs less leaves more for the next one; one that costs more is not bought.
The first year's twelve laptops, $18,000, are the units on this page: each one given is one more winner in the next draw.
Questions people ask
Who can apply?
Any student at a university in Uganda with at least 12 months of study left, who is 18 or over, has a Donum account, is verified, online or in person, with a national ID or passport, and is not related to anyone who works for Donum. Applying is free.
Can I apply now?
No. Applications open only after Uganda's National Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board confirms in writing that the draw is allowed under Uganda's law, and the rest of the preparation in section 4 is done. Tap Notify me on this page and we will tell you, once, if they open.
Do I need to show that my family is poor?
No. Whether a family could buy a laptop cannot be proven fairly, so we do not ask. Every verified student has the same chance.
What do I send?
After the identity check: your scanned university ID card, the full name of your course (for example, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, not BSCS), and your university registration number. Our team then confirms with your university that you are a current student.
How long does my ticket last?
Twelve months from your application. It is in every monthly draw in that time, until you win, withdraw, or leave your university. You can check it any time on the ticket list.
How is the winner picked?
The list of valid tickets closes three days before the draw and is published with its fingerprint and the number of the public random round that will decide it. At the draw, live on our channel, that round's number picks the winner and two reserves for each laptop, by a rule anyone can repeat.
Can Donum choose the winner?
No. The list is fixed before the random number exists, the number comes from drand, not from us, and the rule is published. Anyone can check the result.
What happens if I win?
We write to you in your account and by email. You have 30 days to answer; if we cannot reach you, the laptop goes to the first reserve. We confirm with your university that you are still enrolled, and hand the laptop over at your university, where we check your university ID and the national ID or passport you used for the identity check, in person.
What is published if I win?
Your first name, your university, your ticket number, and a photo of you receiving the laptop from our staff. You agree to this when you apply. If you have a safety reason, you can ask, when you apply, to be shown without your face. You can later ask for the photo to come down.
Do I owe anything?
Nothing. The laptop is yours, and nobody asks for anything in return.
Can I win twice?
No. Each student wins once. You can apply again if your ticket ends without a win.
How are my documents kept?
Your ID card scan is seen only by our team, through a link that works for ten minutes, and deleted 30 days after we decide on your application. Your name and registration number are used to check your details with your university's office, and deleted 30 days after your ticket ends, or after we refuse your application or you withdraw it.
How can I give a laptop?
Give one unit on this page. Each laptop given adds one more winner to the next draw.
Can the draw end?
Yes. Donum Foundation may stop the draw at any time, without giving a reason, and nobody can claim a laptop or money from Donum because it stopped. Before it closes, every laptop someone has already paid for is drawn and handed over.
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