One Laptop per Child: Give One. Get One.

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) is a nonprofit organization with the vision to

provide a means for learning, self-expression, and exploration to the nearly two billion children of the developing world with little or no access to education.

The means for learning, self-expression, and exploration for children in the developing world is a $200 laptop computer.

Most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, or receive no education at all. One in three does not complete the fifth grade. …

OLPC is not, at heart, a technology program, nor is the XO a product in any conventional sense of the word. OLPC is a non-profit organization providing a means to an end—an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community.

Between November 12 and November 26, you can (if you live in the US or Canada) give one and get one. For $399 ($200 of which is tax deductible as a charitable contribution), you will donate a laptop to a child in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Haiti or Rwanda and receive a laptop to give to a child in your life. Donors in the US also receive one year of free Hot Spot access from TMobile for the laptop.

Other than this special offer, these laptops will not be available to the general public. The XO laptop is specially designed for children – a keyboard that fits small hands, durable construction to stand up to extreme conditions and rough handling, and special programs for childhood learning. Capabilities include still and video photography, game playing, voice recording, e-book reading, and Web browsing. The laptops are also equipped with wireless networking and the ability to detect and connect to neighboring XOs.

A $200 specially-designed laptop can help a child learn and improve her life. As these children grow into adults, they will be better equipped to help developing countries develop.

[tags]One Laptop per Child, OLPC[/tags]

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