onelaptop.org
For every child, a connected laptop of their own.

Tackling Digital Disadvantage:

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the extent to which children in wealthy countries are having to compete with others in their own household for basic digital access. In the UK, 2021 data shows that 38% of children aged 12–15 (and 62% of 5-15 year olds) did not have home access to their own, Internet-connected desktop computer, laptop or netbook, which is not shared with other family members. This was considerably more than the 20.8% of children eligible for free school meals, a commonly used indicator of disadvantage.

From March to September 2020 Jonathan E. Shipp worked with the National Children’s Bureau and a group of London schools to develop target specifications, gather data and consult with schools, education experts, business and government about how best to define and tackle digital disadvantage. Our conclusions and recommendations were presented in a report, “Tackling digital Disadvantage” and discussed in an online debate.

We developed a clear mission to enable every child to have a connected laptop, of their own. If you would like to help, please do get in touch.

 

“Putting computers in a computer lab is like chaining books to the walls in old libraries.”
Seymour Papert

“Sharing computers is like sharing pencils.”
Nicholas Negroponte

“...Sadly, OLPC never achieved its aim: before it shut down in 2014, it distributed a few hundred thousand devices but did not get enough traction to launch on a truly global scale.”
Gillian Tett, Financial Times