OLPC efforts in Nigeria

[Bastieeeh]

The One Laptop Per Child project set itself the target of delivering not only a laptops to children in poor countries. The non-profit organization wants to provide a window to the world and a sees its XO computer as the right tool for exploring and learning.
ZDNet now has a story online that covers the introduction of the XO laptop in a small Nigerian village. Before that happened the only computer the small school had was a PC painted onto a wall. The teacher didn't have a computer, neither did he have access to one in his life before. You might imagine how eager the kids were to hold their first personal computer in their own hands. I really hope that this project will be successful and the governments who already promised to buy several thousand XOs will keep their word.

If you are keen on how the user interface of the aforementioned XO looks like then head directly to Engadget.com who have plenty of screenshots of it.

Source: ZDNet

[Wile E]

It's good to see this getting off the ground. Hopefully this will provide a valuable learning and teaching tool to underprivileged communities and nations.

[Zalmann]

Hmm, I see this as a waste of effort and funds. The money spent on this project would be better off being spent on producing safe drinking water and infrastructure for these countries, also developing safer/environmentally friendly farming practices and supply of medicine will go a long way in helping them become self sufficient.

What good is a laptop when the children are starving? You can't eat the laptop.

[Wile E]

It opens them up to receive a better education, which will hopefully lead to the ability to achieve the things you listed above.

I guess there is more than one way to look at it, however.

[Zalmann]

I know it does, but I think they have more immediate things to take care of.

[xvi]

I'm going to strangle someone if I start getting more 419 scams in my inbox.

Dear Sir or Madam. Although you've won the grand prize in our "National GTFO Contest", I regret to inform you that you totally suck. Any further messages will result in your Worldwide Suckage Rating (tm) rising further. If I continue to receive additional letters regarding your dead great-grandfather, I will sign you up for as much spam as I possibly can. Good day and god bless.

[anticlutch]

Originally Posted by Wile E

It opens them up to receive a better education, which will hopefully lead to the ability to achieve the things you listed above.

I guess there is more than one way to look at it, however.

From what I can see, all that good education will lead to is the child leaving the country. If the child is in such a severely underpriviledged area, obviously there aren't going to be too many good schools that provide higher learning. So assuming they want to keep learning, they'll emigrate to another country (i.e. the US or the UK). But in order to support themselves, they'll need to work, which means tax dollars to the host country. Upon receiving the education, that child most likely will want to stay in the host nation to make some money to send back home. Essentially, the only winners here are the developed nations with good infrastructure... with so many educated people leaving the poor nation looking for better opportunities, that poor nation will struggle to pull itself out of poverty.

I find myself agreeing with Zalmann quite often on many topics but this is no exception. Instead of spending $400, or even $50 on a laptop PER CHILD, that money would be better invested in water tablets and other emergency commodities, then eventually be spent on better infrastructure, then laptops.

But since the project has already been set in motion... I hope it goes well for those kids (and countries).

[aximbigfan]

<sarcasm>what an absolutly great idea!!! give all the would be scamers/spammers a laptop, so that they can becouse spammers/scammers... </sarcasm>

those olpc things are such a hige waist of money. the children will prolly abuse the laptops and eather break them or use them to spam people. its really like we are shooting aurselves in the foot. they have all of thses "oh nozz it is teh nigerian scame3rzzzz" tv shows on, and then in the same breath they rave about how it will benefit all sorts of children in 3ed world countries.

oh and anyone who approves of the olpc project is a stupid god damn hippie who is too ignorant to know the repercussions of giving a bunch of kid who are desperate for money laptops.


chris

[Completely Bonkers]

Funny that there are MANY 3rd world countires in the world that are in desperate need for basic insfrastructure, but we keep hearing about NIGERIA again and spending money on, IMO, the wrong issues. One of the shadiest and most politically corrupt. Is there a correlation between corruption and OLPC? I'll leave you to your own conclusions.

P.S.
Nigeria actually has a lot of oil $ and spends it on everything BUT education or basic infrastructure. Stinks to high heaven.

[aximbigfan]

Originally Posted by Completely Bonkers

Funny that there are MANY 3rd world countires in the world that are in desperate need for basic insfrastructure, but we keep hearing about NIGERIA again and spending money on, IMO, the wrong issues. One of the shadiest and most politically corrupt. Is there a correlation between corruption and OLPC? I'll leave you to your own conclusions.

P.S.
Nigeria actually has a lot of oil $ and spends it on everything BUT education or basic infrastructure. Stinks to high heaven.

seems like they spend it on internet cafes more then anything...

DEAR SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
I IS SORRY TO REPORT THET PRESEDENT OF NIGERIA HAS DIAD!!!! HE HAS LEFT 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000
IN HIS BANK ACOUNT BUT WE CANTZ RECH ITZ!!!!! YOU GOTZ TO PAY US 500000000 USD IN ORDER OT ACCESS IT. YOU WILL GETS ALL THE MONEYZ.

god i hate spam.





chris

[anticlutch]

LOL, if that isn't an exaggeration then that's pretty sad...

[xvi]

Originally Posted by aximbigfan

DEAR SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!
I IS SORRY TO REPORT THET PRESEDENT OF NIGERIA HAS DIAD!!!! HE HAS LEFT 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000
IN HIS BANK ACOUNT BUT WE CANTZ RECH ITZ!!!!! YOU GOTZ TO PAY US 500000000 USD IN ORDER OT ACCESS IT. YOU WILL GETS ALL THE MONEYZ.

LMAO

I thought my @verizon.net e-mail address would be safe from those spammers, but I thought wrong. I'm slowly switching to Gmail to try and off them. The only thing worse than the spam is hearing about the people who fall for it blabing about it on Opera/Dr. Phil/etc.

[aximbigfan]

Originally Posted by xvi

LMAO

I thought my @verizon.net e-mail address would be safe from those spammers, but I thought wrong. I'm slowly switching to Gmail to try and off them. The only thing worse than the spam is hearing about the people who fall for it blabing about it on Opera/Dr. Phil/etc.

you wanna know the very very sad thing about that email i posted?

lets just say it NOT an exageration...


chris