Information Society Watch

December 11, 2007, Bill Thompson, BBC News International

This article dismisses criticisms by some technology journalists of projects such as One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) that aim at providing affordable technology to children in less-developed countries. It discusses the critics' argument that sending food aid to Africa is a better way to solve the continent's problems than supplying laptops. Citing several examples in counter-argument, the author drives home the point that access to computers and the Internet can make it simpler and easier to deliver the essentials like food, water, health care, housing and education. He compares this to the situation of how access to electric light can vastly improve the quality of people's lives.

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