One laptop per child

One laptop per child is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to provide the world’s poorest children with a low cost, rugged, low powered and connected laptop. The computer shown here is from flickr.com/photos/airforceone/1451674311. Their Mission Statement of One Laptop per Child or the (OLPC) is to “empower the children of poor and developing countries to learn by providing a connected laptop to every school-age child” (Nicholas, Negroponte). The organization was founded by Nicholas Negroponte, a professor from MIT in 2002. He saw how the lives of children and their families in a Cambodian village were transformed from acquiring laptops which led to the creation of the XO laptop. It is based on five principles: the Kids keep the laptops, they focus on early education ages 6 to 12, no one gets left out, connection to the internet, free to grow and adapt.

Their mission is to provide a means for “learning, self-expression, and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education” (Nicholas, Negroponte). Many countries have not enough resources to put towards education and are even less than about $20 per year per child that they use for education resources. In the United States an average amount used for education per child per year is about $7500. In order to accomplish this goal they need people who believe in what they’re doing and want to strive to make education a priority and not a privilege. They need believers in equal education for the have not’s like we talked about in class.

The followers of this foundation believe that by giving children their person own connected XO laptop and they are giving them a essential resource and a window to the outside world. The One laptop per child XO laptop uses software that is designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. The OLPC foundation also states that when the children have access to this type of tool of essential knowledge in today’s world, they become to get engaged in their own education... This helps children access to information and a way to connect with each other and they learn, share, create, and collaborate. It also helps them for their future with the knowledge of technology, and education. This helps to achieve a brighter future for the underprivileged. I do think this a good idea because it gives other underprivileged people a chance of knowledge and education which is often important with advancement and basic skills needed in today’s world.