XO-1.5 Laptop Donated by Contest Winner

Michelle F. of Florida won an XO-1.5 laptop through a General Mills promotion. When she contacted OLPC about donating it, they referred her to a website with a list of projects accepting donated XO laptops. She chose Laptops to Lesotho from among all the other projects listed. I’m not sure why she selected us, but I’m happy she did.

We’ll put her laptop to good use in Lesotho.  Because the XO-1.5 has more memory than the XO-1's that we normally distribute, we might use this laptop as a network server at Kokobe Primary School.

Thanks Michelle!

 - Janissa

One Laptop Per Child San Francisco Summit, October 2012

There is a One Laptop Per Child conference scheduled for 19-21 October 2012 in San Francisco. 

Not much information is available about the conference yet.  Check the OLPC-SF website in a couple weeks for details. (olpcsf dot org slash summit)

They are calling for proposals for the conference.  I'm toying with the idea of submitting one about L2L and our approach, but am not certain yet whether or not I want to give one. 

I plan to attend the conference, whether or not I submit a paper.  If any of the L2L volunteers would like to write one (Fortunate?), let me know and I'll be happy to present it for you.  (Note:  they are looking for more interactive presentations rather than just informational slide shows.)

I expect to be driving from Idaho.  If anyone going to the conference would like to join me, I have room for 1-2 people.  I'd love to have the company.

- Janissa

January 2013 Schedule - Coming Soon

To all our trip volunteers:

I am working on the schedule for the January 2013 trip, including individual duties.  I hope to have it done and out to all of you in the next week or so.

- Janissa

A Sixth U.S. Volunteer Going to Lesotho in January

Lindsey Roy will be joining five other volunteers from the U.S. on our trip to Lesotho in January 2013.

Lindsey is a recent graduate from the University of South Carolina, with a major in psychology.  She currently lives in Cincinnati. 

Lindsey has been interested in doing volunteer work in Africa for a number of years.  While in Lesotho, she will help the project with audio-visual documentation of our work, publicity, the school reading program, and construction (wiring, shelves).

Lindsey, Welcome to Laptops to Lesotho, and thanks for your help!

- Janissa

Pueblo West Laptops

This is a follow up to a post written last week. For quite a while now we have been discussing with Pueblo West High School the possibility of receiving some of their used student laptops. They are Dell laptops, not XO, and we plan on transitioning the older students in Lesotho to these computers to help them attain marketable computer skills using Windows-based programs. A few weeks ago we found out that Pueblo West will be donating 25-50 Dell laptops to the L2L project! The computers are to be used for students in the Nohana School. Pueblo West students have raised over $1000 to pay for shipping the laptops to Lesotho - they want to be sure the laptops get to the school. The Dell laptops will be stored temporarily until there are sufficient solar panels in place at Nohana Primary to charge and use the laptops efficiently.We are currently working on figuring out what programs to install on the laptops for students to use and learn.

International Aid Really Makes a Difference in Lesotho

International aid works.

If you don’t believe that, check out this New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/opinion/sunday/the-coffin-maker-benchmark.html. The article documents how international aid has been very effective in slowing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Lesotho and elsewhere. Business for coffin-makers in Lesotho is down as much as 70% from a few years ago, thanks to a concerted international effort to provide better diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Still, there is much more work to be done in the area of prevention, changing attitudes and practices that lead to the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Laptops to Lesotho is trying to help change attitudes and sexual behavior by providing better education and opportunities to the young people of Lesotho.

50 Dell Laptops Received Today

Today, Sherrie Howey picked up 50 Dell laptops from Pueblo West High School, in Pueblo West, Colorado.  PWHS is replacing all their student laptops and donated 50 of the old ones to Laptops to Lesotho. 

A very special THANK YOU to Principal Martha Nogare, the Pueblo West Board of Education, and the students of PWHS who helped raise over $1000 to ship the laptops to Lesotho.