OLPCorps Africa

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Welcome to OLPCorps Africa, a new student-based, grassroots OLPC initiative.
Email us for any questions about the program: OLPCorps@laptop.org
Can't find what you're looking for below? Try our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Notice there's room for discussing things in the Talk Page
We've posted a notice asking for comments. Please help translate it and pass it on. If you want to get involved in a support role, please see our Support Committee page.

100 XOs, Hardware, $10K stipend, 10-day training in Kigali, Rwanda, and an entire summer in an African country of your choice. Sound too good to be true? Well, it's not. OLPC has a revolutionary vision: an XO for every child. Crazy, right? Not crazy enough, since it's becoming a reality. Country after country, children with XOs are learning more, finding new avenues of expression, and connecting to a global network of like-minded children. But we can't achieve this dream alone, which is why we need your help in turning this idea into a global movement. Through OLPCorps Africa, we'll provide the tools and resources to get you started if you can provide the time, energy, and dedication to change the world. This is a student movement, a learning movement, an education movement...The OLPC Movement.


  • Undergraduate or graduate students from all fields of study and nationalities are eligible to apply. Students entering university in fall '09 or graduating in spring '09 are also eligible to participate.
  • English fluency is required.
  • Minimum number of people in a team is 2.
  • At least 2 team members must be present in Kigali, Rwanda June 8th-17th for training with the OLPC Learning Team. Teams will then depart for their specific destination.
  • Deployments must occur within one of the African countries. Preference will be given to deployments in rural areas.
  • Minimum of 9-10 weeks commitment (the duration of your summer break).
  • Each team member must have their immunizations.
  • Each team member must hold a valid passport.
  • Each team member is responsible for acquiring a visa, if needed.
  • 1 member of each team will participate in a workshop at MIT/OLPC in Cambridge this October 10-12 (all expenses covered by OLPC).


Thinking about starting your proposal? Not sure where to start? This section should answer some of your questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions & collaborate - we're better as a team. Keep in mind, up to 100 teams are receiving 100 XOs each.

In the end, all teams will be working together for 10 days in Kigali before deploying. Our goal is to form a network of African deployments which support learning for years to come. Before your team applies, consider the following suggestions we've outlined below.

Proposal deadline is by March 27th. Send yours to <OLPCorps@laptop.org> with the following title: "OLPCorps_YourUniversity_CountryinAfrica_LastName". Proposals will not be considered if they exceed the 750 word limit (hyperlinks are ok), are submitted in a language other than English, do not mention technical and NGO support, or do not focus on children & learning.

Accepted Proposals will be announced April 10th.

Below are a few helpful guidelines from the OLPCorps Team which must be covered in designing your proposal.

Proposal formatting:

  • Proposals must be in English.
  • Length of Proposal must not exceed 750 words.
  • Hyper-linked text is allowed throughout the proposal.

Proposal contents:

  • Answer the basics: who, what, when, where. Most importantly, KEEP IT CONCISE AND DIRECTLY TO THE POINT.
  • How will you work with children? Are the children in school from June-August? Are they on break? Address how you will deal with children and learning with their schedule.
  • Who is the local partner? How will you follow-up? Partner with groups capable of maintaining the deployment after you leave. Is there an academic institution, NGO, community organization, etc. willing to oversee the project after August? Do you have family ties in the community? What's going to happen when you leave?
    • Include a letter of support from the local partner (this doesn't count towards your 750 word limit). Make sure you show that together you're capable of handling the receipt of a 230 kg package of laptops and equipment. Where will you store the equipment during the deployment?
  • How will this impact 6-12 yr old children? All proposals must be about kids 6-12 years old and their learning. A proposal gets stronger as soon as the group can show that children are the agents of change, not just the objects of teaching.
    • Stick to OLPC's Core Principles: child ownership, low ages, saturation, connection, and free and open source.
  • Describe your project's financial needs. As an attachment (that doesn't count towards the 750 word limit), provide a brief budget for the project. Include travel costs (to Kigali and your deployment community), housing for 9 weeks (can your local partner help here?), and other project-related expenses. Remember that OLPC will only grant up to $10,000 and that you do not need to include XOs, accessories, or Kigali accomodations in your budget. If you have a creative project-based idea that needs funding, let us know.
    • Be realistic with your budget. It will determine how much money you'll receive.
    • But also be economical where possible. If we think a team's budget is wasteful or unrealistic, we will consider that in evaluating the proposal.
  • How will you provide financial support after you leave? OLPC is dedicating significant time and resources to create learning environments throughout Africa! How can you show that your team can provide financial support after you leave?
    • Research your university's grant programs, student associations, alumni networks, and other avenues of funding to sustain your deployment.
  • Communication - do you share the language of the school or community where you will be working? If not, how will this be overcome?


Note: Upon acceptance, you will be asked to provide proof as a student. This will be verified by the dean of your department, for instance.


As you develop your team's project proposal, you should post it to the wiki. This is the only way the OLPCorps team and the OLPC community can provide feedback for your proposal before the submission deadline. Please note: you still must e-mail your proposal as described above by March 27th. Below are the steps to publish your Project Proposal wiki page:

  • Step 1: Create your own project proposal wiki page
  • Step 2: Enter your information in the newly created wiki page. Click on the "Edit" tab of different wiki pages (especially OLPCorps examples and this page) to see how to write and format the wiki.
  • Step 3: Connect your Project Proposal to the main OLPCorps wiki page (this page). In your short summary below, type the following to link your Project Proposal to this site: OLPCorps_UniversityName_Deployment Country, which should be the same format as your Project Proposal URL.

If you are not comfortable using the wiki for publishing a draft of your proposal for feedback, drafts may be emailed to olpcorpsdrafts@gmail.com, and we will post it to the wiki for you. Note that this is not the address to send your final proposal submission.