Organization brings laptops to developing country

In a small village in Sierra Leone, a group of children are gathered around a puddle. This puddle is more than water — it’s a breeding ground for mosquitoes and malaria. Using a durable textbook-sized laptop, the children take a photo of the puddle before returning to class.

Back in the classroom, students discuss the origins of malaria and what they can do in their community to prevent the spread of the disease. The students pull out their XO laptops and show pictures they’ve gathered around the village.

“They’re thinking about how malaria was started and what they could do in their community and on their own to combat the spread of the disease,” senior Bryan Stuart said. “They’re engaged in group problem solving.”

Thanks to the nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child, children living in the electricity-void village now have access to a learning tool prevalent in the United States and developed countries.

Friday at the Kelley School of Business, Charles Kane, former president and current board member of One Laptop Per Child, will speak about the organization, his experiences and internship opportunities for students.

The nonprofit deploys each team with 100 laptops. If they put 100 books on each laptop, students in the classrooms will have thousands of books at their fingertips.

In some cases, energy is provided via solar panels to power the XOs, making the project environmentally friendly.

The children of Sahn Malen, Sierra Leone, aren’t the only ones benefiting. As of December 2009, there were more than 1.3 million XOs in the field. Unlike typical laptops, XOs are designed specifically to handle the challenges presented in these countries. For instance, they are dust-resistant, have a unique screen that is readable under direct sunlight for children who go to school outdoors and are extremely durable and energy-efficient.

OLPC was founded to design, manufacture and distribute the laptops throughout the world in order to create educational opportunities for children in developing countries, Consultant for International Operations Paul Commons said.

Bloomington’s chapter of One Here One There, a nonprofit organization that promotes education in sub-Saharan Africa, and Civic Leadership Development, a service learning organization within Kelley, helped bring Kane to campus. CLD Director Molly Barwick said Kane’s ability to mix business skills with volunteerism is a good match for members of CLD.

Commons said the group often draws in students studying business, international studies, education and computer science.

“At heart, this is an education project,” he said.

Most of all, Stuart said, they are looking for people with a passion — for anything. In addition, volunteers should be able to deal with uncertainties and working in difficult circumstances with minimal resources and a tight budget. These are some of the reasons why students are recruited.

“A lot of university students, they just go at it,” Stuart said. “If you give them a problem, they tackle it. They have the ambition and enthusiasm necessary for the position.”