News that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) campaign has brought a new lease of life to the children of the South Pacific nation of Niue is seen as a stepping to bringing much of the developed world into the modern era. The 500 children of Niue now have their very own XO laptops which were delivered to primary and high schools at the start of last week. So what does this really do for those in the third world? Will it make a difference?
The donation of 500 computers to the region is a major event for those who are looking to make a better life for their children. The 500 strong batch of XO laptops is the first of 1,500 earmarked for the area, an area which already has free wireless internet access installed. However, these laptops really are something else because as well as giving the users access to the internet they also allow families to chat to each within a one kilometre radius without actually going online.
While these machines are the brainchild of the OLPC charity they are backed by some giants of the corporate world including Google and News Corp. The OLPC organisation gives the west the opportunity to give something back to those areas less well developed and ensure that the children of today have a better life tomorrow.