One Laptop Per Child

One Laptop Per Child’s “Give One Get One” program is now underway!

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.

The XO laptop looks like a really cool machine. It runs a specialized Linux-based operating system with an intuitive, easy to learn interface. Internal storage is flash-based – no rotating media. In other words, no hard drive failures. It’s also wi-fi (802.11b/g) capable, and can connect to other XO users via a mesh network. A huge plus for the XO is its innovative direct sunlight-visible LCD display. I won’t bore you with any more techie details, but if you’re into that sort of thing you can view the specs here.

If you’re interested in getting one for your child – or even for yourself! – now is your chance:

Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. This is the first time the revolutionary XO laptop has been made available to the general public. For a donation of $399, one XO laptop will be sent to empower a child in a developing nation and one will be sent to the child in your life in recognition of your contribution. $200 of your donation is tax-deductible (your $399 donation minus the fair market value of the XO laptop you will be receiving).

For all U.S. donors who participate in the Give One Get One program, T-Mobile is offering one year of complimentary HotSpot access.

I love the idea of leveling the technological playing field worldwide and giving children in developing countries equal access to tools necessary for a 21st-century education. If, like me, you’re interested in making a tax-deductible donation to this ambitious and groundbreaking cause, click here.