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OLPC To Become Colombia's Finest Import
Posted by Adrian Covert at 10:30 PM on May 29, 2008
OLPC has agreed to supply 65 thousand XO computers to the state of Caldas, Colombia, providing an injection of technology to a rural area of the country. The first 15,000 will be distributed throughout the most remote areas of the state by the end of 2008, while the remaining 50,000 will be offered in the capital, Manizales, and other remaining areas of the state by the end of 2009.
This is one more step towards Negroponte's goal of getting technology into third world and developing countries. It also marks the first move into Colombia. And no, including a copy of "Dope Wars" on every Colombian OLPC would NOT be OK. Shame on you, reader, for suggesting that. [OLPC on Giz]
COLOMBIA SIGNS AGREEMENT TO PURCHASE 65,000 XO LAPTOPSCambridge, Mass., May 29, 2008 - One Laptop per Child (OLPC), a non-profit organisation focused on providing educational tools to help children in developing countries "learn learning," announced today that the State of Caldas, Colombia, has signed a purchase agreement for 65,000 XO laptop computers to be distributed to children in one of the country's most important coffee-growing regions.
Upon signing the purchase order, Caldas's Governor Mario Aristizabal, said, "My government and our State legislators are fully committed to giving each and every child of primary school age the same opportunity to access knowledge as the most privileged children in New York, Berlin or Tokyo. The One Laptop per Child program is the right vehicle to reach that goal and its potential socio-economic impact cannot be under-emphasized."
"We are very pleased that Colombia has committed to working with us to in order to bring a modern education to their primary school children," said Nicholas Negroponte, founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child. "OLPC is now gaining good traction in signing up countries to undertake significant deployments."
The first wave of 15,000 units to be deployed later in 2008 will be in Caldas's smaller towns and rural areas. For the capital Manizales, a separate agreement is being discussed so that total coverage of the State is achieved. Governor Aristizabal is spearheading a local team that will provide support and implementation capabilities to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project. The remaining 50,000 units will be deployed in 2008 and 2009.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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WD40
Posted 11:22 PM 29/5/08
With all the problems they are having with FARC I don't want to be anywhere near Colombia with a shipment of 15000 laptops.
WD40
MadColombian
Posted 11:21 PM 29/5/08
Colombia is not a third world country nor is it a poverty-stricken country.
However,the more rural states are poverty-stricken like this one.
Still, its not to say that Colombia is a third-world country.
MadColombian
nachobel
Posted 11:02 PM 29/5/08
When I was in 6th grade I memorized the capitol of Columbia by this sentence: Bogota Columbia to get some drugs.
True Story.
nachobel
P3nnst8r
Posted 10:58 PM 29/5/08
@Geisrud: They just OK'ed it.
P3nnst8r
Geisrud
Posted 10:54 PM 29/5/08
I thought these were running some flavour of Linux? Curious it has XP on the screen ATM.
Geisrud
itchytooth
Posted 10:51 PM 29/5/08
@P3nnst8r: Maria?
itchytooth
P3nnst8r
Posted 10:49 PM 29/5/08
Wonder what their finest export is?
Hmmm.
P3nnst8r
Git Em SteveDave
Posted 10:38 PM 29/5/08
I was wondering how long until the first comment about using these to smuggle, to track sales/profits, how you would have to be high to use one, and/or using them as drug platforms/surfaces would take.
Git Em SteveDave
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 10:36 PM 29/5/08
This must be the "Dope for Dells" program I've heard so much about.
OMG! Ponies!
MadColombian
Posted 11:50 PM 29/5/08
@WD40: FARC has been losing power. Most of the leaders of FARC have been killed. Just recently a little issue over borders where Colombia almost got into war with Venezuela and Ecuador.
Colombia had went into ecuador to destroy a FARC establishment.
The fact that FARC cant be in Colombia shows that their power there is diminishing.
FARC is a joke nowadays.
MadColombian
ANoel
Posted 11:45 PM 29/5/08
@LiquidGravity:
Ya, and it's not like there aren't any impoverished third-world-type states (ie. Mississippi) or cities (ie. Youngstown, Ohio) in the U.S.A. that could benefit from this program...
ANoel
LiquidGravity
Posted 11:41 PM 29/5/08
*? Sorry that should have a question mark.
LiquidGravity
LiquidGravity
Posted 11:41 PM 29/5/08
Why are we making third world countries smarter when one day they will just outsource our tech support there.
LiquidGravity
Ben Zvan
Posted 11:56 PM 29/5/08
I got a hands-on with one of these last weekend. At first I thought it would be a great notebook computer for bringing around and just taking notes. Unfortunately, my hands are not the hands of a gradeschooler and I couldn't type more than 10WPM on that tiny keyboard. I ended up just doing a google image search for "boobies". It seemed appropriate.
Ben Zvan
Pereira
Posted 11:55 PM 29/5/08
@ANoel: Remember that this is not a gift, this government is actually paying for these laptops.
Pereira
Pereira
Posted 11:37 PM 29/5/08
@P3nnst8r: Actually, Colombia's finest export is Coffee, in case you didn't know.
It's funny how people think you can see drugs anywhere in Colombia. I saw way more drugs in the 4 years I spent going to College here in the States, than the 20 years I lived in Colombia. Just as thought...
Pereira
ANoel
Posted 12:22 AM 30/5/08
@Pereira:
The US administration could too except they are in a quandary... deploy these to all their own sub-poverty line kids or level that village reputedly harbouring at least 2 Al Quaeda operatives. Tough choices for tough times.
ANoel
berbar
Posted 1:03 AM 30/5/08
@LiquidGravity: As 'Pereira' said, the US is not giving them to Colombia. The Colombian government is buying them.
And you shouldn't worry about making people from other countries smarter because American companies are already in trouble finding the talent they need here in the US: [news.cnet.com]
berbar
duckers
Posted 5:20 AM 30/5/08
Not half as good as their finest exports (sniffle sniffle)
duckers
cf292010
Posted 2:13 AM 1/6/08
@OMG! Ponies!: yeah your really funny stereotyping a country that you probably know nothing about.
@P3nnst8r: Its coffee @WD40: If you've ever been to colombia you would know that the FARC really only lie in the jungles of the country.
cf292010
parquesino
Posted 5:12 AM 4/6/08
It's great to so many people talking about Colombia, in a bad way most of the time, but at least now you know that there is something else besides ColUmbia State.
For example my company in Colombia developed a browser for Classmate and OLPC: Nautilus Browser, and now every Classmate sold in Colombia has it installed:
+ Watch video
parquesino