Over 1,000 more Region Four residents receive Gov’t laptops

Georgetown, GINA, May 28, 2013

There are many more happy recipients of the government’s laptop as over 1000 of the devices were distributed at centres in Region Four today, bringing the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) Secretariat closer to achieving the 6,000 target during this current phase of distribution.

 

A staff of the One Laptop Per Family secretariat explaining how the laptop is used at the distribution exercise in Enterprise, East Coast Demerara

 

Today’s distribution encompassed Victoria to Haslington, Enterprise to Paradise, and Lusignan  to  Good Hope, East Coast Demerara; in Georgetown, Stevedore, South, East  and West Ruimveldt, East, North East and West La Penitence, Roxanne Burnham, Shirley Field Ridley and Rasville; and Houston to Providence, and Timehri and Long creek, East Bank Demerara.

Persons waiting to uplift their laptops at Lusignan, East Coast Demerara

“It is a tremendous gift from the Government that will spearhead what I want to do in terms of being educated about the computer, because today we are moving fantastically in the technological world,” Timothy Smith, a resident of Melanie said. He uplifted his laptop at Enterprise where a total of 287 were given out.

Enterprise, East Coast Demerara residents waiting to receive their laptops

 

At Lusignan, 400 laptops were placed in the hands of happy recipients inclusive of Linda McPherson who said that it is a good initiative, and her children and grand children will benefit tremendously, in addition to assisting her to keep in contact with her family overseas.

Rosel Wilson shows off her new laptop

Another resident Mohanroop expressed gratitude to Government for affording him and his five children the opportunity to receive a laptop. He said it will also assist them in learning about the computer.

Meanwhile at the Wesleyan Church, in West Ruimveldt, approximately 360 laptops were presented to residents of West Ruimveldt, South Ruimveldt, La Penitence, Roxanne Burnham Gardens and Rasville.

OLPF supervisor, Keiron Adams told the Government Information Agency that the distribution process is being followed by a five-day training, which is scheduled to commence tomorrow at 10:00hrs.

 

Beneficiaries at this centre expressed their joy over receiving the laptops and thanked the Government for such a pioneering initiative.

Laptops recipients at the Wesleyan Church, West Ruimveldt

West Ruimveldt resident Rosel Wilson, a retired teacher, said that she was very happy to see that the government is securing the future of, and preparing the younger generation for the technological advancing world, while simultaneously educating and introducing Information Communication Technology (ICT) to the older folks who may not have any or very little knowledge of it. She added this programme will benefit every household in Guyana in some way or the other.

The OLPF programme was launched in 2011, and was pioneered by former President Bharrat Jagdeo. The original aim of this programme is to equip 90,000 families with laptops and to expand the use of ICT across the country.

 

A total of 28,000 laptops were already distributed to families in various communities countrywide, prior to this current phase of distribution which commenced on May 21, and covered several areas in the city, and East Coast and East Bank Demerara.