OLPC Cambodia

2007 status: red
	red

In many respects, OLPC was born in Cambodia. Nicholas and Elaine Negroponte started a school in 2000 as part of an effort by Bernie Krisher to reach out to children in rural Cambodia. They brought laptop computers to the school as part of their efforts to bring opportunities for learning. The program was so successful that Nicholas was inspired to try to do the same for every child.

In February 2008, 520 donated XO laptops from the Give One Get One program arrived in Cambodia. This shipment was distributed to a wide-range of government schools and educational NGOs. 390 machines were donated to primary schools in remote rural villages where there is no electricity and very little educational opportunities for the local children. The remaining 130 machines went to both urban and rural schools, orphanages and educational centers for children.

Educators in Cambodia see the potential for the XO laptops to assist in creating stimulating learning environments for rural children. This may be the catalyst for rural communities to begin to build a positive approach to learning, something that has been neglected throughout decades of civil war, isolation and poverty.

Thank you to all those in North America who participated in the Give1 Get 1 initiative, and thank you to OLPC!

A Cambodian language localization of the XO software has been started.