[Community-news] Software developers needed for OLPC Afghanistan

[Edward Cherlin]

On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 5:16 PM, Don <dond1955 at fastmail.fm> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:09:21 -0700, "Edward Cherlin"
> <echerlin at gmail.com> said:
>> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 4:45 PM, Don <dond1955 at fastmail.fm> wrote:
>> > I am interested Svetla.
>> >  I have lots of skills and I do also possess a bit of charm.
>> > I am not religious but that does not mean that I am against religion.
>> >  Sadly my knowledge of
>> >  computers thus far are only windows based.  I am a G1G1 and to be
>> >  frank, not a lover of microsoft.  My trade is in construction... on
>> >  both the very high
>> >  ends and the very low.  If you think there is a place there for one
>> >  such as me so as to perhaps
>> >  strengthen your credibility in that culture, please let me know.
>
>> Actually, it is not a matter of credibility. Decades of war destroyed
>> much of the building stock and infrastructure and almost all industry,
>> and the Taliban drove everybody competent from the country, down to
>> the level of telephone installers. Although people have been
>> returning, and there is a considerable amount of investment,
>> Afghanistan needs people who can teach the skills for building,
>> including math, engineering, design, skilled trades, finance, and
>> sustainability. And the skills for teaching.

> I am a a licenced builder in the state of michigan...USA, with decades
> of experience in construction...and also being friendly to everyone
> along the path of creativity.  I have trained many young ones with my
> knowledge over the years. I would like to help.
> Who are you?
> Don

I am a volunteer with OLPC and Sugar Labs, and I run Earth Treasury.
You can see a video I made about where the XO program can take us on
my Wiki page (URL below). To see my names, you need to turn on Unicode
support or use a Unicode-capable mailer, and install Chinese, Sanskrit
Devanagari, and Arabic/Urdu fonts.

I am working towards a microfinance project in Afghanistan, to supply
looms and other art and craft tools and to supply Internet
connectivity so that people can sell their works on eBay,
Shopping.com, Overstock.com, and so on.

My first work on OLPC Sugar software was in language
support--keyboards, writing systems, fonts, and so on. I helped
recruit translators for the less well supported languages of target
countries. Now I watch for other things that need to be done, and go
recruit people to do them. Village electricity and broadband Internet;
microfinance; various kinds of software; educational content; redesign
of textbooks to take advantage of the powerful collaborative software
in Sugar; and more.

-- 
Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai