OLPC Sending Computers to Haiti to Help Rebuild

OLPC Sending the XO to Haiti to Aid Reconstruction

January 20, 2010

The OLPC XO is Haiti-bound. A "ruggedized" version of the Linux-based machine — which is already in the hands of millions of children around the world — is being sent to reconstruction groups who are helping to rebuild the destroyed cities of Haiti after last week's earthquake. This isn't the first high-tech way we've seen aid flow to the country — you can also buy apps and donate your old cell phones for the cause as well.

Humanitarian and reconstruction groups are invited to request the laptops with an application, and can also request solar-charging backpacks to recharge the machines and other devices.

2 Comments

3 years 16 weeks

OLPC laptops use less than 1 watt an hour, so they can get or produce the electricity with a solar panel or small pull cord generator. That solves electricity. They can use WIFI to communicate between laptops. They don't need WIFI to the world, if they are using small programs or ebooks to publish and teach local content. They can use USB keys and sneakernet these. Once you have some ebooks on a key that can be copied or used on each laptop. It's a different strategy. The kids don't have to surf the net when they are not near a wifi spot. I don't know if wavefront has servers and is planning on implementing a full link to the internet. This might be a little bit of a different approach. This isn't necessarily a part of a "relief" effort to help those on the ground immediately recover and get food, which of course is also needed. This is a different kind of good and still a good project and goal. So why rail against some good or small effort? We can do large projects and some can do small, but the important thing is to do something, rather than just find excuses to do nothing.

Jmartens 3 years 17 weeks

I hope they don't send these for a while. Good luck finding electricity, wifi or phone line any time soon.

Link Love

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