Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty and Technology
Today is Blog Action Day, and if you don’t know what that is then here is a tiny explanation.
Basically, thousands of bloggers have come together today to blog about poverty and its various applications to our lives in several ways. Many are blogging on politics and resources to fight poverty on a large scale, and others are showing how you can help the community around you in subtle, but seen ways. I had 2 for my blog entry today, both on technology.
1 - One of the best known technologies in fighting poverty overseas is the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child). The lightweight XO laptop is packed full of educational software and a design to make it durable and yet functional. This poverty is, of course, poverty of the mind, but so very important. As OLPC puts it, “sometimes less than $20 per year per pupil, compared to the approximately $7500 per pupil spent annually in the U.S.” That difference is completely inadequate to properly teach and educate kids in third world countries. OLPC’s vision is to get a laptop into the hands of children to teach them, and at the same time introducing the aspect of technology that so many countries and schools lack in education.
There are a lot of ways to help the organization. You can donate to their cause. There have been a few times when OLPC has given the option to donate the $200 it costs for a laptop per child and in return getting the same laptop, as well. So, you can be on the lookout for the “Give One, Get One” campaign if it ever swings ’round again. There are also opportunities to volunteer for OLPC (email volunteer at laptop.org). If anyone has any other suggestions, post them in the comments.
2 - I saved this one for last in case you got sick of reading up until this point. My passion is building, refurbishing, and otherwise pimping out computers in a serious way. A great idea for old computers is to donate them to those in need. However, if you don’t know how to bridge the gap, there are plenty of organizations out there that will take your old computers and give them someone who needs it after refurbishing and/or re-installing the operating system for a new owner. So, don’t just recycle your computer (unless it’s unusable), donate it to someone less fortunate.
Steve
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