The distribution of XO laptops in UNRWA schools is fundamental to OLPC’s mission to give connected, power-efficient and robust laptops to children around the world, especially those who have been displaced by conflict and those living in extreme poverty. The laptops are donated through corporate grants and by individual gifts of $199 per laptop at www.laptop.org.

UNRWA operates one of the largest school systems in the Middle East and has been the main provider of basic education to Palestinian refugees for more than six decades. The Agency makes available primary schooling free of charge for Palestine refugee children in five areas — the West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

“Core to our mission is providing the world’s most isolated and vulnerable children access to modern forms of education and the opportunities that follow,” said Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of One Laptop per Child. “The XO laptop has a special place in children’s education in regions that are disrupted by ongoing political unrest and violence. With the XO, the children can continue to stay connected and gain the skills and knowledge required to participate fully and thrive in the 21st century — even when getting to school is impossible.”

Last month, 2,100 XO laptops were deployed at the Rafah Co-Education Elementary School D. Along with OLPC and UNRWA, the deployment was supported by the Jordanian Hashemite Charitable Organization (JHCO) and the Office of the President of the Palestinian National Authority. In addition to the new XOs in Rafah, OLPC delivered 1,000 machines to Ministry of Education schools in the West Bank towns of Ramallah and Nablus, and an additional 500 machines to the UNRWA Amari Girls and Boys Schools in Ramallah.

OLPC has worked closely with UNRWA on teacher training and the development of localized software and content for the XOs. Two hundred teachers have already been trained and more than 150 electronic learning modules are being adapted for use on the XO. OLPC and UNRWA are also collaborating on the formatting of electronic textbooks and workbooks for an entire primary school curriculum.

Child ownership and the saturation of laptops in a community are fundamental steps in providing ubiquitous access to digital information technology and extending education beyond the school walls. It means that every student or teacher is given access to a computer, the Internet and software. It allows children to learn from each other, direct their own learning and take the laptop home so it also becomes a family and community resource.