Last February, I read an article on the BBC about $100 laptops for the developing world. I thought great idea, but will they ever implement? It getting closer. In Today's Boston Globe business section, there is an article about the MIT Media Lab's unveiling of a $100 hand-crank laptop that does not depend on electricity or batteries to run. The article says that the plan is to distribute the laptops to millions to boost school performance in developing countries, and in Massachusetts. The concept has already been embraced by government officials in Brazil, Thailand, and Egypt. Has it been embraced by Cambodian government officials?
While the article mentions the genesis of this idea came from Negroponte's work in wiring rural schools in Cambodia, it does not specifically mention how or if Cambodia will participate in the One Laptop Per Child program. How can Cambodian children benefit from the program when the minimum order is for 1 million units ($100,000,000)?
Technorati Tags: cambodia
Cambodia doesn't need to be able to order 1 million units. There only needs to be one organization that can fulfill that requirement which can then distribute those machines to the people in Cambodia who need them as well as other countries that are in the same situation.
That way if Cambodia only wants 100,000 units they just wrap their order into part of the larger 1,000,000+ unit order. The larger order could be placed by an NPO which covers its overhead costs through donations (they should be small enough for that to be possible). The power of retail without the cost.
Posted by: Josh | September 28, 2005 at 02:14 PM
I would like to request a laptop for my study and my work. My family is very poor have not enough money to pay for it. I work and eanrn some money to support my study. I really thank you to my sponsor.
Yours faithfully,
Kung Chansak
Posted by: Kung Chansak | March 20, 2006 at 03:39 AM