Ask OLPC a Question about Distribution

This page deals with issues related to the distribution, roll-out, marketing, sales, and things that will actually make the OLPC be in the hands of kids.

Availability - Can XXX in YYY get one paying ZZZ ?

Given the characteristics of the project, the OLPC is initially available only to national government agencies—ie. Ministry of Education—allowing us to achieve the initial economy of scale and a sufficiently large impact to make it sustainable. There are plans and ideas on how to expand our market to include other smaller and/or distributed organizations that will cater to people, places and situations where government agencies are unavailable - in the future and most likely collaborating through and with other parties.

Trying to satisfy personal, individual or otherwise 'isolated' retail requests (many present in this section) will divert precious energy that would otherwise be more effective at larger scales and targets. This does not imply a lack of interest or sympathy towards these requests, many of which are at the heart of our mission, but rather a physical limit that has to do with trade-offs between wishful thinking and practical realities. By no means does this preclude or try to impede that private, NGO and other grass-root organizations or people lobby in their target countries to be included as recipients or to get involved—it just means that they'll have to be a little patient and not lose sight of their dreams and try to match it with our timings.

Keep alert, maybe in the near future there'll be news that will allow us to cater your special demand.

Will rural students will receive OLPC

I am doing a thesis in using wiki/blog in rural parts of nepal to help student pass S.L.C board exam.i am also making assumptions that each children will have OLPC laptops in rural schools of Nepal. is it feasible for them to obtain OLPC laptop in 1 or 2 years time?

All country projects currently have to be initiated by the ministry of education. If you wish to do a Nepalese project then you must contact the Nepalese ministry of education for details.

That said, it is OLPC's intention that every child, urban or rural, have access to the same opportunities afforded by the laptop.

We have recently reopened a private non-profit school in Nepal, and looking forward to trying one of these laptops. Please someone from OLPC have a look at our website and contact us as soon as possible, we can test one of the prototypes and also perhaps help with some of the localization. http://siliconvillage.blogspot.com/

They are trying to sell the first five million units in time to start production in 2007. There is no way that OLPC can help you this year. However, you can get any kind of Linux computer and download all the software for the laptop. Contact me at OLPC4USA if you need assistance in doing this, in addition to the nearest Linux User Group. There are several in Nepal and northernmost India. --Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

New Orleans and Katrina

- Why can this program not be used for the New Orleans area, devastated by the failure of the federal levees? We are so close to the death of this great American city, and the school systems are in dire straits. This could help because the school system is devastated. We have little if any computing infrastructure. We currently have a free local wireless network. Finally, it would be a big PR event for the organization

OLPC does not distribute laptops. You should contact OLPC4USA for this.

Available for urban US?

What kind of dialogue is occurring around bringing this technology to urban communities in the US?

There is a group called OLPC4USA that is working on bringing this about. In addition, at some point in time, the laptops will likely be available for Retail.

Can Consumers in Developed Countries Purchase these Laptops

I read an article in the August 2006 issue of Linux Format that these laptops might be available for purchase buy consumers in the U.S. and Europe for $300. According to the article, "The $200 surplus would then be used to donate two machines to the OLPC cause." Is this true?

This is explained on the Retail page. Sorry, it is not true.

Availability to other charities

I'm going to El Salvador as part of a program between Santa Clara University and the University of Central America. I can acquire funding from our university to purchase several of your computers and distribute them to the poorest people in El Salvador. Who do I contact to arrange such a purchase? Thanks.

Currently it is countries only, and one per child, not scattershot.--Mokurai 02:23, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

Availability in the U.S.

I haven't noticed anything about schools or systems in the U.S. being able to place orders. Are U.S. school children excluded from the potential pool of folks who can receive these? --Marc 23:30, 26 July 2006 (EDT)

This is addressed in this entry in the FAQ --tef 15:30, 29 July 2006 (EDT)

Selling in devloped nations would bring the price down

The more of these laptops sold would bring the price down. Why not make them available to as many markets as possible, with a priority of devloping nations gettting their orders first. I believe this would also speed production. And limiting to education only doesn't make sense to me.

We are launching in the developing world but have every intention of making the machine available for learning everywhere, as our production capacity increases. We also expect there will be a commercial machine, but we are focusing on learning.Walter 10:05, 1 August 2006 (EDT)

I'm glad to hear this. I think your product sounds very desirable, not just because it's a $100 laptop, but because it has many unique features: it's (I hope!) an absolutely silent laptop that can be used pleasantly for writing in natural settings; it can be used without limitation in remote settings and in countries with different power grids; it's an open-access standard for which abundant pretested software, documentation, and help will be available; it can be used and kept in insecure locations since it's not that valuable. I think that not just people without computers or kids, but almost everyone who already has a laptop and a desktop might want one of these simply to use for travel and note-taking. For these reasons I hope that these will be sold without too large of a required donation, in order that a very large commercial market can be reached, which will in turn lead to more software development and product improvements.Mike Serfas 10:26, 13 August 2006 (EDT)

Actually, selling in million lots to governments will bring the price down faster than putting it in retail distribution.--Mokurai 02:23, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

how to order

I would like to preorder the 100$ computer, for my grand daughter , and ship december 23,2006. So tell me, how can I order one of these computers, I would love to have one at my grand daughters so she can use it. So the question relay is, how can I order one of these so it will also benefit the project?

The OLPC laptops are not currently available for retail sale. The reason is explained on the Our market page. That doesn't mean that they will never be available. If you are interested, keep an eye on the Retail page for any developments.

Can (a USA religious organization) in (Nicaragua) get one paying (little money)?

Next Summer, my wife and I are moving to Nicaragua. We both are educators with many years of experience working at all levels of education. She will be the principal of a kindergarten through High School institution. My desire is to enable some of the rural ministers and their families to obtain computer technology. How could I as a "private citizen" obtain some of these laptops for my students and their families?

You will probably need to wait until some form of Retail licensing has been concluded. Alternatively, you could band together with similar groups and approach the OLPC formally to purchase 1 million units. This means that your group, collectively, would need to have $100 million dollars in funding available. OLPC4USA is attempting to do this.

Training & Capacity Building

Volunteering as a Teacher

Do you have any volunteer-teachers program to help children/local-teachers learning some basic/advanced programming and/or maths subjects? If so I would like to volunteer.

There is no reason to wait for OLPC. You can volunteer with a number of organizations to work on computers in schools right now. Join the Peace Corps, for example. They are now giving every volunteer a computer, and part of the mission is to teach somebody to use it, and then to leave it behind with that person. Or you could talk to Grameen Foundation USA about its Village Computing Project. Or Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka. Or Global Catalyst about computers in refugee camps. Or get on some of the non-profit mailing lists that regularly send out job notices for the world. Try the OneWorld jobs and volunteering page, or the UK equivalent.--Mokurai 16:12, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

Teacher training

Some critics are complaining that there is no plan for training teachers to use OLPC laptops. I don't believe that this is so, but there is no page on this Wiki explaining what the plan is, or might be. There is also fear that the children will soon know more than the teachers, at which point teachers are predicted to rebel against the program. This does not have to happen, but the question must be addressed, preferably with field experience of some kind. Ed Cherlin

There is a cohort of schools in the US with several years of 1:1 computer:student experience. One such school is [1] Greensboro Day School, and we would be interested in partnering with a school in Libya (or another country) in terms of collegiality for teachers and support. We have had several positive experiences partnering electronically and via travel with schools in other parts of the world. How do we get connected to help?

I can put you in touch with schools in Sri Lanka and Ghana, for a start.--Mokurai 02:23, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

The issue of teacher training has been partially addressed with the announcement of the MOU with Libya. The plan exists, but has not been released publicly yet.--Mokurai 17:37, 15 October 2006 (EDT)

You can't train teachers until the hardware design is frozen and the software set is nailed down. Since each country can have more its own software set, the training really does have to be country specific. For those countries which adopt Squeak Etoys there is a lot of teacher-oriented material on the Etoys websites.

Training

Dear olpc.org,

I am a IT contractor based in Mozambique. I am personally planning on opening a computer training facility in Mozambique, in the rural district of Boane about 50kms from the capital Maputo district. I have performed an initial survey and there is a lack of IT knowledge and many of the youngsters between the ages of 12 to 19 don't know what a computer is.

You need to talk to John Dada of the Fantsuam Foundation, who is running such a facility in Nigeria. --Mokurai 18:45, 9 November 2006 (EST)

I would like to provide them with the skills they need to better their livelihood and of their families. My plans are to create an infrastructure for both pupils and for those who are not, giving them the valuable skills needed to further pursue their goals. My initial revenue will come from NGO's who have volunteers needing access to the internet to contact home. Various activities such as printing, document translations and IT courses will also help to curb costs.

I would like to know how I can import and implement your olpc equipment here too? If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely

Chan W. Lou

Contact your government and urge it to implement the OLPC program. Offer your assistance. We will support you. --Mokurai 18:45, 9 November 2006 (EST)

Question regarding upcoming protoypte testing?

I understand the first prototypes of workable systems will finish being manufactured this month. Testing is supposed to occur shortly thereafter in select countries. Is there any volunteer opportunities to work with the systems and children during testing? I will be in Argentina for the winter/spring and am interested in getting involved with the project.

No, according to information on this site.--Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

Stakeholder Testing

How many children, especially in the target groups, have been involved since the first testable prototypes have come about?

The prototypes are unfinished and extremely few in number. Testing in schools has not begun.--Mokurai 17:30, 15 October 2006 (EDT)

There are about 900 units being put together for testing, of which 200 will reportedly be destroyed in drop tests. --Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

Donations

Is there any option of a donation? I am working with a school in Guatemala and the kids age ranges from 7 to 15, With help from others and local efforts we have bought some computers with a microsoft operation system, however this project seem to me very interesting because it is an education, environmental and technology project and I just want to see if there is any option on getting some of your laptops to the kids here in Guatemala, the school is locate on a village of the province of Sololá, and our kids cames from very poor families, currently we have sponsor from Oregon and Ohio, however we want to give the best to them and help them to be ready to face the world challenges once they are profesionals and we are in need of technology, if this is not psosible how much will be the lates for oan of the laptops. Thansk a lot. Henry Vásquez, henrymisael2003@hotmail.com

Will the pilot project of 500 children in Thailand testing the laptops “survive” the resent coup in that country? If yes, when will it start? (Bine)

There wasn't one, and no. The new government installed by the coup is badmouthing Linux and Free Software generally, and has opened discussions with Microsoft. --Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

See http://www.olpcnews.com/sales_talk/countries/olpc_thailand_sales_back_on.html, though I don't know anything about its veracity. 204.210.52.172 23:01, 24 November 2006 (EST)

I didn't see any of the Caribbean countries among the OLPC list. I work with a non-profit organization. One of the organization's mandate is to provide affordable computers to every home in the Caribbean. We sent an e-mail to OLPC asking for contact name and e-mail address in OLPC and got a reply from OLPC indicating that only the governments can purchase these laptops. If there is no Caribbean government in the list why not a non-profit organization like ours buy the laptops and distribute them? The reply e-mail also said that there is a staffing limitation. As the non-profit organization, we are saying that we are here to help. We are here to work with you. So please ensure that the bottlenecks are eliminated as they are found.

The list you see is merely the first round. It includes countries that have expressed interest in the program, and have the possibility of coming up with the $200+ million required to order a million units. All other countries will have a chance in the next round, when smaller batches will be offered. --Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

Our offer stands. Any time you need help just let us know. We check this site regularly.

Contact me at echerlin@gmail.com. I'm working with other NGOs to form a global partnership to do the parts of the program that OLPC can't do.--Mokurai 16:22, 18 December 2006 (EST)

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Talking about donations, Im From Colombia, now i am begining to develop for OLPC, and i was wondering if OLPC can make a donation of some computers for a Colombian native comunity called the NASA,if not a donation could it be a testing like in Thailand? it could be a great beginnig for aproach to Colombian government. any suggestions to dirakx@gmail.com --RafaelOrtiz 21:40, 28 October 2006 (EDT)

OLPC is selling the computers at little above cost. It does not have a billion dollars to give away. --Mokurai 06:59, 21 November 2006 (EST)

Ok..i was just asking for the possibility, but i understand your answer. --RafaelOrtiz 23:18, 24 November 2006 (EST)

But join OLPC Colombia. You can talk to the government about the program, and recruit others to do the same. Also email me at echerlin@gmail.com. I'm putting together a coalition of NGOs worldwide to address this and other matters that are outside the OLPC mission, but are vital for ending poverty.--Mokurai 16:22, 18 December 2006 (EST)

Scope Leap

Is it an unwelcome increase in project scope to raise the question of using these computers to support public and community data health processing? I am thinking of two scenarios: a) the rollout of anti-retroviral therapy in remote clinics across the world, and b) the situation of a country like Ethiopia that is extremely poor, has tremendous needs for managing patient data in clinics and so-called "health posts", but which does not have the funds or the infrastructure to support the network of computers that do this work in developed countries. I would welcome more discussion on this point.

I know of a low-cost telemedicine system from India that could be attached to this laptop, giving a doctor in some other location electronic readouts of vital signs, imaging of eye, ear, nose, throat, skin, etc., and a chance to converse with the patient, all over wireless. Blood chemistry analytics are in development. A digital microscope could be added if the cost issue could be dealt with. I would add the requirements of malaria, TB (including drug-resistant varieties), river blindness, nutrition, OB-GYN, and a lot more. Talk to Dr. Paul Farmer, Partners in Health, Harvard and Haiti; Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Sri Lanka; everybody who appeared in the TV series Rx for Survival; and the Gates Foundation. Ed Cherlin

If it supports a USB interface, then buy one and make sure its device drivers and software work on the OLPC Linux images. If it doesn't support USB, then encourage the manufacturers to make a USB version. The OLPC has 4 (four) USB ports for a reason. Use them!

Supply Issue

On the supply issue, will each laptop be given to a child or will it just be located at the school? This question is asked because at the age of 5 to 10 yrs one tends to be very careless to properties and might end up damaging or losing it. But if it is based only in the school premises, the issue concerning lost or damaged can be reduced. Regards, Sylvester F. Fingesi. slytoltec@yahoo.com--212.39.161.50 10:56, 18 July 2006 (EDT)

Actually, there is evidence to the contrary: the school computers tend to break down with more frequency than laptops that children take home with them. The theory is that the sense of ownership makes a difference. Walter 17:00, 2 August 2006 (EDT)

Financial Contributions

Do you accept donations?

OLPC is establishing a 501(c)3 public charty named the 2B1 Worldwide Fund. This organization will be able to accept financial donations from the general public and institutions interested in supporting the one laptop per child initiative. The OLPC web site will be updated with a link to the 2B1 site and specific information on how to contribute. --Fadel 00:54, 19 October 2006 (EDT)

Distribution Help

I know there is going to be coordination with foreign governments, but how else will the distribution process take place? Will there be people in country helping with the set up of and distribution of the devices and troubleshooting? I work in computer networking myself and would do anything to travel and help with ensuring proper distribution and set up of these computers.

The 2B1 does not require experts in convential computer and networking technology to help with distribution. In addition, any English-speaking experts will be severly hampered by their inability to speak the target language, for instance the Libyan dialect of Arabic or one of the 500 or so Nigerian languages. That is not a typo; there really are five hundred languages in use in Nigeria which has the world's largest population of black people. In the country with the world's second largest population of black people, Brazil, it is somewhat simpler since nearly 100% of the population use Portuguese even if it is not their native language. And there are only 188 other languages spoken there.

This is not a conventional aid project where smart rich outsiders go and do their bit for the poor downtrodden natives and then run back home to mama. This is about enabling people in other countries to do their own thing, to learn by doing for themselves. It is not about transferring outside expertise but about giving them the basic information tools so that they can fend for themselves, build their own networks and internetworks in their own style with their own goals.

The MOU with Libya includes building wireless infrastructure, some of which will be planned with the help of experts from other countries. Of course, it is essential to train local experts as quickly as possible. Such initial training can be done in English or French almost anywhere in the world, certainly including Libya, Nigeria, and Brazil. From that point on, the local experts can train further local experts in whatever language they find convenient. --Mokurai 18:14, 9 November 2006 (EST)

Price

To many of us in "developed" countries, $100 sounds remarkably cheap, but to many living in these other countries (for example, Thailand and Cambodia), $100 is still very far out of reach. Is it foreseen at all that the price may continue to drop as production numbers increase?

Yes. The OLPC is a not-for-profit organization, so there is no reason to hold the price at $100. I believe, however, that the price will not be able to drop below $100 until late 2007/early 2008. --SamatJain 13:53, 8 August 2006 (EDT)

Your idea is an inspired solution to many problems of education. Making it for every child on the planet, while an assume task, is right because no mater whether it is Tucson or Timbuktu few, if any, libraries contain the wide spectrum of information that the internet provides. I, as a child, never got the opportunity to remain in the libraries as long as I wanted. There was always many more things I wanted to explore that time did not allow. Now with the internet I can stay in the library as long as I like. You will give each child that same opportunity to stay in the library as long as they like or until their mom says different. I feel the cost of the machines and software will be far below one hundred dollars once China becomes involved. You have chosen a worthy project to spend your time. I pray for the completion of you goals because you already are a success. My vision of the possibilities is staggering.

Production will be in Taiwan.--Mokurai 02:23, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

I want to know if someone(anyone) will can buy this laptop(for development or just for personal use reasons) and, if yes, how can I get 1 of these(for development in my case).(daxohara at gmail.com)

Not yet.--Mokurai 02:23, 13 October 2006 (EDT)

Can you help me to put an OLPC machine into a unique environment

I am a developer who will soon be teaching computers at a school[2] for approx 200 Karen refugees age 6-16. Duration 3 months starting late Sept.

I am happy to see the announcement of 500 laptops for Thailand, where these kids live. Due to their often illegal status they won't be the lucky school. However the school does have dsl access to the internet shared by 6 winxp desktops. I will be bringing in 2 laptops (osx powerbook, linux thinkpad) and an 802.11 transmitter.

Literacy is mixed across Karen, Burmese, and Thai. Most students are seeing computers for the first time. However there are a small group who are familiar with the net and instant messaging. I expect all will be seeing macos and linux for the first time.

I'm hoping you can help me to put one olpc machine into the network at the same time. Perhaps I can be a guinea pig for the Ask_OLPC_a_Question#Teacher_training topic. I think part of the solution will be to not distinguish teachers from students. What is needed is a wiki where anyone can teach them self.

I hope for it to offer an opportunity to observe olpc's uptake relative to macos and linux. If there is interest in gathering data I'm willing to record it, to the extent it doesn't interfere with student learning. I am willing to pay for the machine myself. I am open to suggestions on how to make better use of this opportunity to benefit the students or olpc.

Cariaso 00:19, 17 August 2006 (EDT)

Sales force

How can I contact the company for a job selling the contracts to the various education centers around the world? I speak 4 languages and would love to help seed this product to help increase the education around the world. Please advise. Alex

We have no sales team and do not plan to create one. --Walter 11:18, 25 August 2006 (EDT)

I am part of a volunteer project in Nicaragua that takes the information and telecomunication technology to poor children with not any access to it. We visit educational institutions, churches and social assistance NGOs and spend a couple of hours helping children to get familiar with the PC and strengh their educational process. Our goal are those groups of children who do not have access to technology so we need to get a stock of computers to be use in every visit. Can OLPC computers be requested in small quantities? and When do you think to supply NGOs directly instead of using governmental institutions?

OLPC says that after the initial rollout of five million units to governments, it plans to think about what quantities are practical, and who else might be involved. This should be in the summer of 2007. --Mokurai 06:16, 7 November 2006 (EST)

Research opportunities?

I am conducting PhD research at the University of London on media literacy. Who can I contact to inquire about conducting field research in Libya as part of the olpc rollout process? --User:Cbrauer

There will be a research mailing list set up soon. Send me your email address and I will add you to it; or keep an eye on the mailman lists. Sj 09:51, 9 November 2006 (EST)

Grant Opportunity?

Hi, I am a Fourth grade teacher in Southern Indiana. We are a technologically underdeveloped school and recently realized this alarming fact. We discussed how technology, such as familiarity with computers and resources available on them would benefit our students. Is there a possibility to become a test school for this program and if so, how do I sign our school up? If not, could I write a grant in the future for the benefit of our kids? I love the idea that these laptops would go to other countries, but would also love for American children to have the opportunity to use the B1 as well. Thank you for your wonderful work and the promise that it shows. (By the way, american children would love helping to buy computers for children in other countries.)

Contact me. I can connect your children with a class in another country via e-mail, chat, and Webcam. --Mokurai 07:05, 21 November 2006 (EST)

NGO facilitation?

I work for an NGO that operates in several potential recipient countries. I'm interested in exploring what opportunities might exist to synergize our efforts with the OLPC project, but I'm not sure of the best way to approach it. Is this sort of thing facilitated somewhere around this wiki? I've done some looking, but haven't found much yet. If not, I'd like to be part of creating something that speaks to this perhaps in conjunction with someone who's more involved in the project already. -Bnardone 15:02, 21 November 2006 (EST)

I currently am involved in several projects in the developing world where access to these devices would help to precipite a revlution in learning / e-Learning. What is the scope for checking on recipients for eligibility ? is the operation just happening at high level ministry of education or could we imagine sourcing the machines on a project by project basis ?

Tariff barriers in receiving countries

What, if any, tariff and/or non-tariff barriers does OLPC see encountering in bringing this program into these impoverished countries?

None. The laptops are purchased by national ministries of education for deployment. This close relationship to national lawmakers makes tariff barriers unlikely. Such barriers are normally only put in place to protect local manufacturing and if the issue did arise, the OLPC would work with local manufacturers to produce local versions of the laptop. On first glance it seems that the People's Republic of China is the only country where this might be an issue.

Integration with educational strategies

What plans have been made so far to map the applications into a teaching curriculum, i.e. how are you going to help teachers and families use them in an educationally beneficial manner? What ongoing plans do you have for this?

The core functionality of the laptop is an ebook library. We do not feel that it is necessary to tell teachers how to use books in their curriculum. But overall, these laptops are being deployed in conjunction with ministries of education. These are the people who develop the curricula, hire and train the teachers, and so on. We may advise them and do advise them, but in the end, all curriculum decisions are not ours to make.