One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Give One Get One

Masi Oka, true man!

These laptops are being melted down for their precious metals by the dictators ruling these African nations.

they dont have theachers! they dont know how to read! how do this people expect that they can use a laptop? I hate this kind of humans that are more and more dependent of machines!!!

they dont need laptops! they need food, water, a good house and good books.

i appreciate the teach a man to fish concept, really. my problem is simple; the money spent to hand out what is a luxury good could be far more effectively spent teaching these people how to build and support their infrastructure. if they don't have proper sanitation and water, a consistent food supply, durable shelter, and reliable electricity, there is no point even trying to teach them anything else. a laptop isn't going to help these people learn to build homes or run water mains.

Who is to say that It won't? Educated people see the reason to have such structures.  What is the point of telling them that "Their Water is bad" if they don't understand that it is the microbes and pollutants that cause it, and that they can fix the problem? Why should they have to depend on others? Why would they trust the people that want to help them?

Secondly: This program is secondary, something that is brought in after food and water are established. This allows continuing forwards

they don't need to be told their water is bad. they already know. what i'm saying is the money wasted on this program could have been much better spent sending over experts in each necessary area (agriculture, sanitation, water supply, construction, etc.) and providing supplies to get them started. later assistance on developing their own natural resources in a way they can sustain indefinitely. simply giving them laptops isn't going to do any of this. we need to educate them first to

satisfy the basic physiological needs, then to solve the issues of security and self protection. everything else depends upon those two concepts being firmly and effectively in place. google maslow's hierarchy of need. maybe that will help explain my point. self actualization is impossible if you're hungry.