This is the innaugural post on The Owen Project blog. First a few words about the project itself. The Owen Project is an effort to take 100 XO laptop computers to Santa Rosita in rural Honduras. The XO laptops were created by One Laptop Per Child in Cambridge, MA. These computers are designed with isolated, Third World environments in mind, where power sources are intermittent at best, and technical infrastructure is non-existent. The heavy-duty laptops are nearly indestructible, and have no moving parts. The long-lasting battery can be charged using a hand crank or hand-held solar panel, as well as an electrical outlet. The XOs come already loaded with a dozen educational programs and are WiFi equipped.
In addition to manufacturing these XOs, OLPC is part of an initiative to transform world education by placing powerful computers in the hands of every child, especially in rural Third World environments where resources are limited. Each XO is an entire school system, an entire curriculum, a connection to a wider world.
The Owen Project is also part of the mission outreach program at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, which is part of The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas. Parishioners from St. Andrew’s have been traveling to Honduras for the past 25 years and The Owen Project is the most recent addition to this long-standing commitment to the people of Honduras.
Finally, on a more personal note. The Owen Project is named in honor of our son, who passed away on Christmas Eve 2006. Owen went to Honduras on a mission trip as a high school student and was transformed. We hope that this effort will be an honor to his memory.
theowenproject 