One Laptop per Child comes to Hong Kong
Laptop initiative hopes to inspire youngsters keen to make a difference in society, writesAlan Wong
Tin Shui Wai is an unlikely part of the city for two young Americans to visit on their first trip to Hong Kong. Nevertheless, Katelyn Foley and MacKenzie Sigalos found themselves dragging a couple of hefty suitcases to the distant community, where local contacts brought them to a nearby kindergarten.
Introduced to a group of about 20 youngsters, Foley greets the class: "Good morning. Is everybody ready?"
The children's bewildered expressions indicate they don't really understand much of what she said, but most can barely contain their excitement when they spot colourful, chunky laptops being pulled out from the suitcases. These are XOs, the cheap and rugged computers being distributed to underprivileged children around the world through One Laptop per Child (OLPC), the non-profit initiative founded by MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte.
With help from kindergarten teachers who translate instructions, the children are soon able to perform a host of tasks on the the XO laptops.
"Look! I can make the turtle move," a chubby boy with short, spiky hair shouts as he drags the character to a designated area using an application called Turtle Art.
Foley and Sigalos are veterans in the student volunteer movement and, although brief, their visit has brought together young Hongkongers keen to help poor communities and make a difference in society.
