[Olpc-open] In regards to OLPC in Ghana

[Edward Cherlin]

On Thu, Feb 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM, Linnea <linnea.hermance at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hello,
> I sent my OLPC laptop (half of the buy two get one program)

Give One Get One, http://wiki.laptop.org/go/G1G1

> to a school in Ghana.

Thank you on behalf of the children.

> Your post on the OLPC wiki mentioned that you knew of other schools
> in Ghana that were using the laptops if I understood that correctly.

Schools that are interested in using XOs, but don't have them yet, and
schools using other computers and various kinds of distance learning.
Also University of Education, Winneba, community computer centers, and
computer training projects.

And Winneba Ghana Linux User Group (LUG)
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Regional_community_groups#Ghana

We also need to start localization projects at One Laptop Per Child,
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Localization, for the languages of Ghana.
According to ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=GH, languages spoken
in Ghana by a million or more people are

* Abron 1,181,700
* Akan 8,300,000, including 2,800,000 Asante Twi, 1,900,000 Fante,
555,000 Akuapem Twi
* Éwé 3,112,400

where the figures given are for speakers in all countries. There are
several languages spoken by 100,000 or more but fewer than a million.

> Would it be possible to pass on these names so that I can pass them on to
> the school. I know they would appreciate some local support.

I have copied this to one of the mailing lists for the NGO working on
the projects, OneVillage Foundation Ghana. I expect that someone will
get in contact with you right away. We would be delighted to bring in
yet more schools for XO programs and for the other projects going on
in Ghana.

You should be aware that most LUGS hold installfests to put Linux on
any computers that people bring in. Also that the Sugar educational
software for the XO can be installed on many different versions of
Linux, and also on Macintosh and Windows computers. Such computers
will not be capable of mesh networking, but students will be able to
share activities over ordinary WiFi connections. You can talk to
Winneba LUG about doing this for your schools, and they can talk to
OLPC and to me about Sugar installations and live CDs.

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Sugar#Getting_Started

> Hope to hear from you!
> Best regards
> Linnea Hermance

-- 
Edward Cherlin
End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business
http://www.EarthTreasury.org/
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay