Give One, Get One?

It's funny, I really don't buy into all of the hype surrounding Christmas, but I seem to be on the treadmill like everyone else.  First there was Thanksgiving and guests, then Elliot's school Holiday Bazaar and guests, then next week there's the Advent Spiral at E's school, a get together with the ladies in my neighborhood, then E's birthday and very small party (and the celebration at school which requires 2 capes to be sewn and a cake to be baked), and then some travels to two out of town destinations all leading up to the big day.  Can I curl up in the fetal position now?  Ah well, I'm sure it will all be over in the blink of an eye.  I'll just try to keep it as simple as possible. 

I'm curious what you all think of this "Give One, Get One" concept.   Is that what the children of the world need-- laptops?  I'm not saying the answer is no, just that we shouldn't assume that the answer is yes.  Hmmm...I'd love some concrete examples of how this will improve their lives.  I took a quick look at the website and didn't find them, but haven't fully explored it.  Sort of reminds me of when Karin Blixen opened the school in Out of Africa (my favorite movie), making a lot of assumptions along the way about what "the other" people needed.  Even some of the language on the site rubs me the wrong way-- "to contribute to a more productive and saner world community."  Huh?? 

OK, sorry for the rant, I'm just not convinced.

Update: I replied to comments below rather than individually.

Comments

[Kelly G]

Delurking to say that I agree with you completely. My husband supports our family by selling/fixing computers and all things computer related and yet I still don't see the necessity in this. We are preparing to start the adoption process for a child from Haiti and let me assure you that the orphans there need HOMES not computers. Perspective.

[Alicia A.]

me neither.

[Dana]

Shouldn't we start with clean water, food, health care, homes? I'm not sure that my laptop has made my life more productive or saner.

Good luck getting through the crazy holiday season.

[Alicia A.]

let me clarify. empowerment? yes. education? yes. equality? yes. gaining a larger world view? of course. laptop computers? give me a break.

[Alicia A.]

let me clarify: empowerment? yes. education? yes. equality? yes. gaining a larger world view? yes, of course. laptop computers? give me a break.

[Rachel]

That is seriously rediculous considering some of these children don't even have food to eat. Um, shouldn't that be first priority?

And what is with the "saner" part? So people without laptops are insane?

[Cindy]

I watched the 60Minutes interview with the founder and have to disagree. Most of these children are too poor to go to school and a lot have no shools near them. Why not let them know there is more to the world around them?

You can watch the 60Minutes interview here:
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/segment/69/one_laptop_per_child

[Zoe]

Humm, yeah, I think that there are far more important things that we could give then laptops. I mean, what is the point we they might be lacking in so many other ways?

[Mama Urchin]

Hmm, I hadn't heard of this. Not sure about it myself. I certainly believe in education for everyone but I'm not sure laptops are the answer.

[Irene]

So true! I can think of a bazillon of other things kids more than a laptop.

[Janet]

Absolutely agree with you. If children are living in a home without electricity, running water or modern toilet facilities, a computer is the last thing they need. Did anyone ask the parents of these children what they need. I doubt a computer would be at the top of the list. I support Heifer International which I think is a more practical way to help underpriviledged children and their families.

[Wendy]

My hubby reads William Kamkwamba's blog http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com/williamkamkwamba/

And in it, William describes how he built a wind turbine for his village based on information he found on the internet.

I don't know much about the One Laptop program and where the laptops are going, so I can't speak for the program specifically.

But I do know this... knowledge is power. And access to knowledge results in greater self-sufficiency. That is what improves people's lives.

The way the internet improves my life is much more trivial than how it can help these people, but it's the same concept. If there is something I don't know how to do, I google it, read how other people do it and figure out the best way to do it myself.

While I'm looking up how to sew t-shirt quilts, these people can learn about things like solar power, irrigation, farming and low-power lighting (some things that William lists as his interests).

I do understand your point about Westerners thinking we know what's best for other people, though. And it's good to be wary of marketing BS.

[Wendy]

And Janet, I just did a post about Heifer International yesterday.
http://wisdomofthemoon.blogspot.com/2007/12/heifer-international.html

Great program! I especially love the fact that the original recipients become donors themselves when they pass on the offspring of their animals.

[Danielle]

I'm not sure what I think about the program either. It's becoming increasingly easy for us to throw technology at a problem these days assuming it will be solved.

My husband taught music in the Cleveland inner city. He had a position at a special Gates funded small school where every classroom had 20 new computers and crazily expensive smart boards. The reality was he had no books & no instruments. Nearly every single assignment he gave was plagiarized from the internet.
This is also the school, where this fall, several students and teachers were shot by another student.
No amount of technology could solve the problems there.
Not the same situation, but something to consider.

[Danielle]

I was going to say something along the lines of what Wendy said, but she said it much better than I could!

Absolutely, food, shelter, and clean water are essential, and without those things, computers are not especially meaningful. But, we are living in an era when the "knowledge economy" is starting to spill outside the boundaries of the developed world and into the developing world. Work that we are outsourcing from the US and Europe (just as an example -- tech support jobs in India) could offer significant income opportunities in the developing world. But, without access to information and education, these opportunities are inaccessible.

Almost 10 years ago, I traveled in west Africa. I saw many universities whose libraries had no books, much less computers. These students were desperate for the types of materials that US students throw away at the end of the day (photocopies, magazines, etc.). I imagine that things are much the same at schools of all levels in many developing countries.

The OLPC laptops may open doors for students through increased access to information -- for example, books can often be distributed more easily and more cheaply in electronic format -- and skills that will be in demand.

In the developed world, many of us who are fortunate enough to have disposable income are talking about a return to simplicity, handmade gifts, handcrafted children's toys, and locally grown food, things that are in many ways more common in the less developed areas of the world. At the same time, developing nations are talking about access to technology as a way to increase economic opportunities. Makes us stop and think a bit, as our knee jerk reaction is to expect the opposite.

Are we forcing our ideas (laptops) on a less-than-receptive population, or are we designing solutions to meet a demand? I think it's some of both, and hopefully more of the latter.

In many places, basic needs are not being met, and a computer won't help an illiterate farmer to grow more crops to feed a hungry family, or help an urban ghetto dweller to improve sanitation or build a house. But, in areas where food and shelter are available, education is a critical need.

Will a cute green and white laptop substitute for teacher training, ensure government provision of appropriate infrastructure, or change cultural attitudes that keep girls out of school? Not by itself. But, in combination with other measures, these machines may open new opportunities for many.

Thanks for a provocative post.

[Ben]

I think it's little demeaning to assume developing counties need buffaloes not technology.

If you take nearly any third world country the population is not entirely desperately poor. There are kids who have intelligence, opportunity and potential to learn the best from the world and to help themselves and their country. Programs like One Laptop Per Child give them a better chance succeeding by putting tools for research and education in the hands of talented young people who want to learn.

[Brad]

Who am I--with multiple computers, DSL and a pretty comfortable life--to say to people in the developing world "no, sorry, you can't have this yet"? OLPC is a interesting idea with a challenging implementation, and there's been much written about it, both for and against (sometimes at the same time). Here's a post from a great blog on technology and the developing world, which refers to some critical articles: http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/09/24/g1g1-is-a-good-idea-and-for-the-record-so-is-olpc/ and another that talks about the OLPC pilot in Peru: http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/peru/laptop_peruvian_child.html

[tamara]

I love the theory behind ideas like this but so often they break down and fall apart upon implementation when priorities of food, water, shelter, education and the right to grow up in a safe community/environment are not established amongst stable governmental policies & infrastructures. The importance of the laptop in facilitating educational standards ultimately becomes a moot point.

[Courtney]

Thanks everyone for some great comments. I agree with many of them and look forward to reading the links you posted. I definitely see the point that children who fall in the middle-- receive education but don't have access to books for example-- are the ones who stand to gain the most from this. Access to information that applies to their lives is key in my opinion.

Danielle's comment-- "In the developed world, many of us who are fortunate enough to have disposable income are talking about a return to simplicity, handmade gifts, handcrafted children's toys, and locally grown food, things that are in many ways more common in the less developed areas of the world. At the same time, developing nations are talking about access to technology as a way to increase economic opportunities. Makes us stop and think a bit, as our knee jerk reaction is to expect the opposite."-- is the most to my point.

I feel that if we categorize these people as "underdeveloped" than we may as well call ourselves "overdeveloped." Americans by and large have lost touch with our natural world and sort of stumble around trying to "find meaning" in our lives. This is a luxury of affluence. I don't at all find it demeaning (as a commenter said) to assume that these people need buffaloes more than they need computers (which I never said, by the way). To me that would assume that herding buffalo is less useful than tapping away on a green plastic box-- hardly.

I love technology, I sit here holding a sleeping baby and typing on my laptop while my house heats itself and my laundry whirls away down the hall. But to assume that these people will find salvation in a little green box is far-fetched. And that says nothing of their oral traditions which in my opinion should be highly valued.

I'm not trying to romanticize their lives, but I think we could learn a great deal from them as well. And I wonder who gets to decide what sort of education they need.

[equisetaceae]

i think access to health care, including education and control over sexual decision making, housing and food would probably top laptops.

laptops really are not solving problems, in my mind. more technology usually creates more problems, if those first things are dealt with.

what a weird approach to making a difference.

[heather]

saw that little logo at the top of your post and had to read to see why you put it there. so glad that was your reaction, bc it was mine as well! interesting how some companies are trying to get on the charity bandwagon, to sell more of their own products to us here. i think the new tampax commercials are somewhat interesting also.

[Knowledge is Power]

Ah so you know it all then, do you, posting away on your little blog and asking to be convinced? I'm getting one for my child and donating three, hope your commenters keep their precious little ones off the computers and internet and keep sitting on their thumbs waiting for bucketloads of money to fall from the sky to provide teachers to all those third world kids you'd deny a window to the world. And um no, I'm not going to bother trying to convince you.

[Ben]

I feel bad that my comment was bit reactionary. I posted at the same time as Danielle and wished I'd been as well reasoned.

Tamara, about the buffaloes I was responding to the Heifer Int'l links not your post. And I love buffaloes :). I spent a semester in a small town in India where raising buffaloes is an important part of the local economy and has been for centuries. It's just in the same town the school kids have a hard time accessing information from the wider world.

@equisetaceae. I agree totally about education about sexual health and the rest are important, but I think that one reason why private access to the the internet is very helpful, as it provide information that's not always available locally.

Anyway, I'm not really a reader here, just married to crafty lady who follows this site. I apologize if harshed the vibe here! I enjoyed reading and thinking about the conversation.

[lynne]

What an interesting thing to think about. My view on the matter is probably a little simplistic - but I think it's great that there are so many different ways to donate through different avenues that can really resonate with you, as an individual giver.

[Knowledge is Power]

Are you sure you're allowed to snap that logo and use it on your site?

[blair]

If computers in your lap make you saner, let me kids be crazy I say.

Course, I myself must be very very v e r y sane...

[Erica]

If computers and the internet aren't a key to knowledge (And therefore power), why do some governments try to block access to it? In the same ways that you or I use the internet to connect with other crafters and learn new techniques, others can use it to learn about empowerment, ways to change their lives and connect with others who want change. It's not the only way to make the world a better place, but it can certainly be a key component, and, as I understand it, at a relatively low cost.

[Belém]

In the end Karen Blixen took off her servant's gloves!

[carol]

I appreciate your viewpoint and challenge for us to think about this issue.

I immediately thought of the documentary "Born into Brothels"- these children have very little, but the world was opened to them when they were given cameras. You never know how this piece of equipment can move them forward.

Also, just like doctors that go to 3rd world countries to perform surgeries or teachers to use their expertise, perhaps the people in technology want to use their resources...

Anyway, the more the world knows the needs of others, the better. Your observation only helps to continue the dialogue.

[Christine]

I think it's weighing the pros and cons. I agree that there are other things we could be focusing on providing these kids, but what is harmful about providing them computers? The internet has pros adn cons itself, but education being the man pro might outweigh the rest of it. My main concern is whether this is really us imposing our culture on another...

[mimi k]

One thing I don't get- my daughter spent a year abroad (2005) in Cape Town, SA where the standard of living is pretty good- and there was very limited access to the internet. A computer isn't going to do much good if it isn't connected to anything and that can not be assumed, right? I have heard a lot of opinions on why this is a bad idea (some pretty wacky like it will make child labor spammers in 3rd world countries) and very little on why it will work. And, the tone of the comments here are getting a little scary- I am having to brace myself before clicking Post.

[Robyn]

I'm not so sure I can really say anything too spectacular here. I agree that I don't think computers are the answer. However, as a former teacher to some pretty under-privileged kids, education was a way out. I ran into a former student that I honestly didn't think would amount to much more than being a teen mom drop-out (this doesn't mean I gave up on her, I just didn't really think anything was clicking with her), and found out that she was not only in her junior year of college, but also putting together a business proposal for a new business she and her brother were hoping to start. It gave me hope and confirmed for me that education is the key. What am I trying to say? they need houses, plumbing, food, etc. They also need something to hope for beyond basic needs. The idea that a laptop might do that, might provide some type of education, knowledge beyond their everyday scope is empowering. If they never know something else is out there, they never know to hope for better, they never know something else is possible. But, a book could do that, too.

[KA]

What is wrong with providing technology wherever you can? We can help and we should. Let's not intrude on another culture and tell them we won't help them because we think they need something else more. Let's not deny them access to the world because we don't want them to lose their traditions. This is an opportunity. We don't know what the outcome will be, but the chance that it will provide access to ideas, and more.. What is wrong with that? Yes, people do need food, medicine etc.. But isn't education a basic as well? I think all of us end up minimizing the needs of people in less developed countries by saying they just need food and clean water. Of course they do, but why would we not allow them items that we take for granted. Like a laptop. Someone mentioned that these programs usually end up not working. Maybe it's because we all spend way too much time debating and not enough of it actually acting. It is so easy to forget that others might want some luxury, something that might seem senseless to us, but valuable to them. In America that is all that we have. The necessities are just there. The rest is a luxury. Why not give something that is useful and provides some feeling of wonder to someone else?

[Carrie]

I agree with you. I think there are far more important needs out there than laptop computers but I can see how the fact that there are people willing to give time and money to help children in any way can't be too wrong - maybe not my choice though. I'd rather give my time and money to a child's more basic needs such as a home, food, and clothing but I'd let anyone choose the way they would like to donate their resources. Btw.....I just love your blog. I'm a faithful reader!

[Anita]

Just came back to this post to read the comments after skimming over it too quickly previously.

It's hard to know what countries like Africa may need without having been there to see the real needs.

I do know of one man who is doing something similar in an effort to make a difference. His name is Steve Peifer. He and his family live in Africa. He started by providing a lunch program for school children to give them the nutrition they need to study while at school. From there he is building computer labs out of shipping containers in hopes that it will increase the possibility for jobs that can support a family after graduation.

You can read more about his programs here.
http://kenyakidscan.org/computers/

He was also interview by CNN for their CNN Heroes Program. Go here and click on Championing Children.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/cnn.heroes/

[Lori]

great discussion. "Knowledge is Power", don't be crabby. there's nothing wrong with people questioning. knowledge *is* power, so why be upset about people who are actively seeking it out?

"It's difficult to explain exactly what being poor is all about, or why access to books and ideas might be as important as a free breakfast." — Walter Dean Myers, New York Times, 10/16/05

[Amy]

My reaction was originally the same as yours... that it wasn't neccessarily the most important thing we could be doing for children in need.

But then, isn't it the manufacturers of the laptops that are donating them? So I guess it's their way of giving, and makes the most sense for them. And that's okay with me, as long as it isn't just a gimmick to sell laptops.

[Rebekah]

I think it is important to have a both/and philosophy about this. Are we contributing to clean water funds? Are we providing funds to sustainable development? Are we providing knowledge to effectively destroy the cycle of poverty?

[india]

There are many things that children need - and I can't say that a laptop is one of them.
India

[Carrie]

I wanted to add that the most convincing reason I have seen for this project is so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. I think of them as a replacement for paper, which many schools lack. It also can't hurt to have access to the global information source that is the internet. There are too many variables to go into here, but I think it in essence is a great idea.

[shannon]

I find my own reservations about the program come not with the free laptop that goes to a child who is old enough to put it to good use, but to the laptops that people here in the US are buying for their 2 - 6 year olds. I have had more than one conversation with parents this holiday season who are buying one of these computers for their child who isn't even old enough to read.
Every time I think about this program it makes me remember the drastic and life threating differences between children born into wealth compared to children born into poverty. It just makes me pause to think that in this swap one child gets a computer they will use to play games and gossip on while another child will use the computer to try and figure out how to get food for her family.