The mission of Kids on Computers is to provide technology and access to educational content to kids who do not otherwise have access with the hopes that our work will provide them with more opportunities and allow communities to improve themselves. We are always excited to hear of other organizations whose mission is in line with ours. Unleash Kids is one such organization.
We met Unleash Kids at SCALE 2016. Unleash Kids’ primary work is in Haiti though they partner with educational communities which show the most need and capability around the world.Unleash Kids enables global volunteers who work with kids via direct exploration of their electronic/outdoor worlds with Internet-in-a-Box community kits and more. They do this by catalyzing volunteer professionals taking the One Laptop Per Child movement into a new decade, enabling quality learning among the world’s poorest children.
Adam Holt
of Unleash Kids had coordinated a set of 360+ (yes, you read that right – over 360) XO laptops which were no longer being used in Philadelphia and Hartford. Most of these laptops are not working, but can be salvaged for necessary parts for XO’s which are functional. A very necessary set of equipment as the original XO’s are no longer being manufactured.
of Unleash Kids had coordinated a set of 360+ (yes, you read that right – over 360) XO laptops which were no longer being used in Philadelphia and Hartford. Most of these laptops are not working, but can be salvaged for necessary parts for XO’s which are functional. A very necessary set of equipment as the original XO’s are no longer being manufactured.
I offered to help Adam get the laptops to Boston. We were going to try fit as many of the laptops we could into my Honda Fit but thankfully, longtime Kids on Computers supporter, Philip Greenspun, came to the rescue and offered us his van, which has much greater cargo room and load capacity, to transport the laptops.
So this past weekend, Adam and I drove the van down from Boston to Philadelphia and back up through Hartford collecting laptops along the way making for an extremely successful trip. Unleash Kids is planning a refurbishing fest later this spring to work on these laptops and parts.
KOC is excited to work with an organization such as Unleash Kids towards our common goal of improving access to education and technology for underprivileged kids and thereby hopefully improving their lives and communities.
There were a lot of folks who helped us on the way. Many thanks go to Kim and Dan Wilson, Heidi and Howard Ellis, Philip Greenspun, and Olga Sokolova for housing and feeding us on this adventure.
