One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is an ambitious nonprofit project developed by Nicholas Negroponte, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the founder of the MIT Media Lab. The project was first presented by Mr. Negroponte in 2005 at the World Summit on the Information Society in Tunis. Since then, the novelty of the proposal has attracted wide attention.

The laptops designed by Mr. Negroponte could have a very positive effect on school-age children due to their practical structure, which makes them adaptable to harsh conditions. The laptops are nearly indestructible, withstanding impact by  water, temperature, dust, sand and other forces.

OLCP seeks to broaden educational opportunities for children in impoverished countries who lack access to many learning tools required in a competitive era of modern technology. So far, the innovative laptops have already been introduced in Afghanistan, Haiti, Pakistan, Rwanda and South Africa. The overall progress of OLPC has been slow, but this fact in no way diminishes the worth of this revolutionary initiative.

At its core, OLPC is a campaign against poverty in its most pronounced form: lack of education. It aims at removing barriers to the potential of poor children.

By learning how to use wireless networks embedded within every laptop and function in small teams in the age of advanced technology, underprivileged children gain valuable transferable skills, which they could apply anywhere in the world — including their home countries.

The ground-braking value of the project goes beyond the evident pursuit of improving learning and technological collaboration in developing nations. OLPC provides means to reduce the dependence of individuals on governmental bureaucracies, making citizens more active, more efficient, and better informed.

Presently, OLPC is facing financial challenges as a result of an insufficient demand from the governments in developing nations. There is a lot of skepticism about how such product could affect social dynamics in their countries.

At this time, the laptops can be purchased and donated to children starting at $200 by visiting www.XOgiving.org. If the laptops were mass-produced, they would cost less than $100 a piece.

The OLPC campaign adds another layer to the important role technology plays in modern society: Not only does it give us everyday convenience, solution to health problems, social empowerment, but also closes the gap between the education and those seeking it.

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