Laptop for third world???

[merryweather20]

The OLPC(one laptop per child) Project essentially takes the approach of "Teach a man to fish..." As I understand it, the wireless would be available via the schools. And the laptop can run both on electric/battery as well as by hand(a crank or foot pedal).

But teaching a man to fish is practical, they can get themselves a fish, and they won't be hungry.

This is more give a child a computer and hope the wifi works, hope it doesn't break, hope the free laptops aren't targeted for theft and hope they learn something.

As for the foot pedal and hand-crank they were removed and replaced with solar cells, that they hope will work.

 

[solfan68]

But teaching a man to fish is practical, they can get themselves a fish, and they won't be hungry.

I guess I simply don't see it that way. I'm reminded of the Playpump. A rather ingenious solution that puts one of those old school merry go rounds on top of a water pump. These devices have been installed in villages in Africa, and through some very creative engineering provide clean water. Kids play, the village gets clean water.

I won't deny there's clearly a need for food. And I don't think OLPC is saying that mesh wireless will solve the world's problems. But what if the next great food idea could come from the next generation ? Again, give a man a fish and eats for a day. One man's humble take on the situation.

 

[rsbuxt]

I totally agree! We need them for our own country, take care of our own first.

Wow, very very sad.

Rich ...Suddenly proud to be English

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

Putting on my flame retardant suit to add my .02 to the "give a man a fish" debate....
I know there are some opponents here for the OLPC charity, and yes, they are being donated to children in third world countries. But you never know if a child has access to the right technology, who the next surgeon, scientist, etc is going to be. Now I'm not saying farming isn't an honorable profession, but I don't think everyone in the country wants to grow up to be a farmer.

 

[ExBellhop]

I believe a school in Alabama just purchased 15,000 of these laptops for their own district.

Here's the link.

Enjoy,
ExBellhop

 

[merryweather20]

Putting on my flame retardant suit to add my .02 to the "give a man a fish" debate....
I know there are some opponents here for the OLPC charity, and yes, they are being donated to children in third world countries. But you never know if a child has access to the right technology, who the next surgeon, scientist, etc is going to be. Now I'm not saying farming isn't an honorable profession, but I don't think everyone in the country wants to grow up to be a farmer.

But they aren't planning on providing medical school, or scholarships to the children. Just a laptop, and learn gosh darn it!

Its not about farming and not farming, its the fact that the world vision ideas, go somewhere useful (and no, not all involve farming). They're useful, maintainable and marketable for the individual areas.

The same money could be spent on books, which don't need questionable wifi, maintenance, or solar batteries. The same money could be provided for students to attend institutes of higher learning.

If they still desperately needed to give poor children computers, why wouldn't they combine it with something that would get the children from point A to point B. Like the aforementioned scholarships.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I am a bit surprised with the negativity toward this charity.

There are many charities to which I would not donate but I would never suggest that anyone else not. Charity is a very personal thing.

If you feel that this is not the charity for you, then by all means, donate to the charity of your choice, whether it's in your own back yard or across the globe.

I myself, find it hard to critize any legitinate chartity attempting to make the world a better place.

Kevin

 

[sconnell]

I don't normally jump in on conversations like this, but for some reason I felt like I need to on this one. I understand the mission of the OLPC. I think that they have a great idea and in some areas, this is just what they need. BUT, I think that there are many places that are in such dire shape, that this would be like putting a band aid over a gushing wound.
I think that we in America, tend to think about third world countries as places who are the gushing wounds. Places where every 3-6 seconds people are dying because they don't have clean water. There is a place in Kenya where 1 million people live in 1 square mile. In this place, a laptop isn’t a bad thing, but clean water… that’s the difference in life and death.
There’s nothing wrong with the laptops, but I can’t help but think there are other things that should come first. This summer, my husband will be traveling to Karagoto, Kenya to help build wells and other things like that.

Do you know...
•Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS
•50,000 children will die of AIDS this year
•1,400 newborn Africans are infected with AIDS everyday
•There are 900,000 orphans in Nairobi, Kenya today, mainly due to AIDS
•More than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $1 a day
•Every 3 seconds a child dies of nutrition deprivation/starvation
•More than 300 million people in Africa do not have access to clean water
•1 million children die of malaria each year

 

[two-foxes]

This summer, my husband will be traveling to Karagoto, Kenya to help build wells and other things like that.

Do you know...
•Every 14 seconds a child is orphaned by AIDS
•50,000 children will die of AIDS this year
•1,400 newborn Africans are infected with AIDS everyday
•There are 900,000 orphans in Nairobi, Kenya today, mainly due to AIDS
•More than 300 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live on less than $1 a day
•Every 3 seconds a child dies of nutrition deprivation/starvation
•More than 300 million people in Africa do not have access to clean water
•1 million children die of malaria each year

Best wishes to your husband and blessings for the work he does and will be doing. Thanks for posting and taking a true action for what you and your family believe in.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I understand each and every point that you have made but the figures you have given lead me to another question.

Are we to fix all of the worlds sorrows before we educate children?

Who knows where the next world leader might be, the next Jonas Salk, the next Thomas Edison, the next doctor to cure a disease?

This cycle of poverty and disease is not new. This does not make it any less heart rending, but it's an old story.

Without education, this cycle will likely continue. Those unlucky enough to be locked in this cycle rarely see a way out. A glimpse of a different world may spark the right child to do great things.

I am not suggesting that laptops replace food, medicine or clean water...but education is a step to breaking a vicious cycle.

Kevin

 

[sconnell]

I understand each and every point that you have made but the figures you have given lead me to another question.

Are we to fix all of the worlds sorrows before we educate children?

Who knows where the next world leader might be, the next Jonas Salk, the next Thomas Edison, the next doctor to cure a disease?

This cycle of poverty and disease is not new. This does not make it any less heart rending, but it's an old story.

Without education, this cycle will likely continue. Those unlucky enough to be locked in this cycle rarely see a way out. A glimpse of a different world may spark the right child to do great things.

I am not suggesting that laptops replace food, medicine or clean water...but education is a step to breaking a vicious cycle.

Kevin

No, certainly not. I guess I didn't wrap up my point very well. lol. Guess I'm doing too many things at once. lol.
I'm sure that the OLPC is doing their homework before they give laptops out. I'm sure that they aren't going to hand a laptop to a child who really is at the point that $200 worth of water would be better for them.
I guess what I was trying to say is that, we in America see so much on TV and other places that we tend to think that all of Africa is dying children with flies swarming all over them. There are places where children aren’t knocking on death’s door and they certainly need more than bread and water. They need to be nourished mind, body, and soul. They need education and I personally think these laptops are great. No, they aren’t the answer to end all questions, but then again, neither is water.
The laptops are specifically designed for all types of weather conditions and will be great in bright sunlight or in a dim hut. They are built for extreme temps and are very durable. They will give the children a since of a world beyond what they are living in now.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I agree completely.

Thank you!

 

[Disneybridein2k3]

I understand each and every point that you have made but the figures you have given lead me to another question.

Are we to fix all of the worlds sorrows before we educate children?

Who knows where the next world leader might be, the next Jonas Salk, the next Thomas Edison, the next doctor to cure a disease?

This cycle of poverty and disease is not new. This does not make it any less heart rending, but it's an old story.

Without education, this cycle will likely continue. Those unlucky enough to be locked in this cycle rarely see a way out. A glimpse of a different world may spark the right child to do great things.

I am not suggesting that laptops replace food, medicine or clean water...but education is a step to breaking a vicious cycle.

Kevin

Kevin - this is exactly my point. But, as always, you said it much more eloquently than I did. Thank you.

 

[merryweather20]

I understand each and every point that you have made but the figures you have given lead me to another question.

Are we to fix all of the worlds sorrows before we educate children?

Who knows where the next world leader might be, the next Jonas Salk, the next Thomas Edison, the next doctor to cure a disease?

This cycle of poverty and disease is not new. This does not make it any less heart rending, but it's an old story.

Without education, this cycle will likely continue. Those unlucky enough to be locked in this cycle rarely see a way out. A glimpse of a different world may spark the right child to do great things.

I am not suggesting that laptops replace food, medicine or clean water...but education is a step to breaking a vicious cycle.

Kevin

That isn't the point of the other posts at all. Education is great, but it doesn't require a lap-top . Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk didn't have laptops.
There are many ways to educate a child providing a laptop has some concerns that I and other posters have pointed out (security, power, information flow) its fine to discuss that.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I never suggested that it wasnt fine to discuss this topic.

I suggested that I was suprprised by the negativity the topic was receiving.

If you re-read the post that you quoted, it startes with " I understand each and every point that you have made but the figures you have given lead me to another question."

This was actually in response to sconnell's post and I think that after discussion we came to realize that we were saying very similar things.

You are correct, Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk did not have laptops but they were not competing in a world where many others did and they did have access to higher education, food, water and adequate shelter. Survival wasnt their primary concern. In addition, the world has changed since Tom and Jonas' day. They were merely examples and not the defining idea.

I also agree that lap tops are not required for education but I think that in todays world, it is certainly an enhancement.

Also, none of my posts addressed security, power, information flow...and I am not really sure why these are concerns anyway.

It's been discussed that these laptops have been outfitted with solar cells and a screen that is visible indoors or out. As solar cells store energry, you do not need to be in direct sunlight to use the power. And I'm not really sure what is meant by information flow. This seems like a good thing to me.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with providing a child with something to spark his/her imagination and if this is the tool to do that...I'm all for it.

 

[WebmasterPete]

For those who are interested, here is a link to some clips from the 60 Minutes segment on this.

http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/69/one_laptop_per_child

Pete

 

[nikjd68]

I don't normally jump in on conversations like this, but for some reason I felt like I need to on this one. I understand the mission of the OLPC. I think that they have a great idea and in some areas, this is just what they need. BUT, I think that there are many places that are in such dire shape, that this would be like putting a band aid over a gushing wound.
I think that we in America, tend to think about third world countries as places who are the gushing wounds. Places where every 3-6 seconds people are dying because they don't have clean water. There is a place in Kenya where 1 million people live in 1 square mile. In this place, a laptop isn’t a bad thing, but clean water… that’s the difference in life and death.
There’s nothing wrong with the laptops, but I can’t help but think there are other things that should come first. This summer, my husband will be traveling to Karagoto, Kenya to help build wells and other things like that.

I can appreciate that conditions in, using your example, in Kenya, are dire. But it is also true, as is pointed out in Sports Illustrated that,

"In Kenya there are probably a million schoolboys 10 to 17 years old who run 10 to 12 miles a day. . . The average Kenyan 18-year-old has run 15,000 to 18,000 more miles in his life than the average American--and a lot of that's at altitude. They're motivated because running is a way out. Plus they don't have a lot of other sports for kids to be drawn into. Numbers are what this is all about. In Kenya there are maybe 100 runners who have hit 2:11 in the marathon--and in the U.S. maybe five. . .With those figures, coaches in Kenya can train their athletes to the outer limits of endurance--up to 150 miles a week--without worrying that their pool of talent will be meaningfully depleted. Even if four out of every five runners break down, the fifth will convert that training into performance..."

My point is that the people in Kenya are not spending 100% of their time thinking about drinking water and although the conditions there are bad, they are still human beings striving to make themselves better. They may need help digging a well, but that doesn't mean they should be denied everything else.

 

[nikjd68]

I don't normally jump in on conversations like this, but for some reason I felt like I need to on this one. I understand the mission of the OLPC. I think that they have a great idea and in some areas, this is just what they need. BUT, I think that there are many places that are in such dire shape, that this would be like putting a band aid over a gushing wound.
I think that we in America, tend to think about third world countries as places who are the gushing wounds. Places where every 3-6 seconds people are dying because they don't have clean water. There is a place in Kenya where 1 million people live in 1 square mile. In this place, a laptop isn’t a bad thing, but clean water… that’s the difference in life and death.
There’s nothing wrong with the laptops, but I can’t help but think there are other things that should come first. This summer, my husband will be traveling to Karagoto, Kenya to help build wells and other things like that.

I can appreciate that conditions in, using your example, in Kenya, are dire. But it is also true, as is pointed out in Sports Illustrated that,

"In Kenya there are probably a million schoolboys 10 to 17 years old who run 10 to 12 miles a day. . . The average Kenyan 18-year-old has run 15,000 to 18,000 more miles in his life than the average American--and a lot of that's at altitude. They're motivated because running is a way out. Plus they don't have a lot of other sports for kids to be drawn into. Numbers are what this is all about. In Kenya there are maybe 100 runners who have hit 2:11 in the marathon--and in the U.S. maybe five. . .With those figures, coaches in Kenya can train their athletes to the outer limits of endurance--up to 150 miles a week--without worrying that their pool of talent will be meaningfully depleted. Even if four out of every five runners break down, the fifth will convert that training into performance..."

My point is that the people in Kenya are not spending 100% of their time thinking about drinking water and although the conditions there are bad, they are still human beings striving to make themselves better. They may need help digging a well, but that doesn't mean they should be denied everything else.

 

[sconnell]

I can appreciate that conditions in, using your example, in Kenya, are dire. But it is also true, as is pointed out in Sports Illustrated that,

"In Kenya there are probably a million schoolboys 10 to 17 years old who run 10 to 12 miles a day. . . The average Kenyan 18-year-old has run 15,000 to 18,000 more miles in his life than the average American--and a lot of that's at altitude. They're motivated because running is a way out. Plus they don't have a lot of other sports for kids to be drawn into. Numbers are what this is all about. In Kenya there are maybe 100 runners who have hit 2:11 in the marathon--and in the U.S. maybe five. . .With those figures, coaches in Kenya can train their athletes to the outer limits of endurance--up to 150 miles a week--without worrying that their pool of talent will be meaningfully depleted. Even if four out of every five runners break down, the fifth will convert that training into performance..."

My point is that the people in Kenya are not spending 100% of their time thinking about drinking water and although the conditions there are bad, they are still human beings striving to make themselves better. They may need help digging a well, but that doesn't mean they should be denied everything else.

Yep, I agree. That's why I wrote the second post. And that's why I don't normally jump in on these conversations, because comments innocently get taken out of context.
Kenya for example is a country with Nairobi, a pretty urban place, to Karagoto, not urban by any discription.
I really hope this doesn't sound ugly, that wasn't my intent.

 

[luvthemouse71]

The OLPC(one laptop per child) Project essentially takes the approach of "Teach a man to fish..." As I understand it, the wireless would be available via the schools. And the laptop can run both on electric/battery as well as by hand(a crank or foot pedal).

Agreed.
I saw a segment on 60 Minutes about this project. They don't just throw the laptops at the kids and leave them to figure it out. Many of these kids are attending schools of some sort - these laptops are meant to supplement their education. I don't see any big controversy either. The kids I saw on this program seemed to love it. They've had kids who didn't really show an interest in school before start attending regularly because of the computers. That's a good thing, IMO.