Bridging the digital divide and educating the children

What is the Linux community doing to help the more disadvantaged children of the world? While there are many philanthropic companies offering to provide IT access to those who have never touched a computer, the question must be asked - what is their motivation? Do they really want to bring the poor out of poverty, or do they just want to sell more hardware?

By developing the skills of children in developing countries, the process of poverty can be reversed. The theory is that by educating a generation of children with Linux, they will no longer be dependent on commercial software, and the expensive contracts with foreign governments for providing their software. This alone will not cause the reversal of poverty to happen, urgent medical care, increased access to clean food and water, and trade and political reforms are still required.

This meeting is about getting together people and organizations that are actively assisting the global cause of using Linux in education, especially in developing countries. "Make Poverty History" is a campaign run by aid organizations that aims to bridge the gap between rich and poor. Does the Linux community need such a campaign? Or can it be part of the bigger picture?

Issues to be discussed:

* What about the pedagogy?

* What is going on now

* What are the shortcomings of the current approaches

* Ethical and environmental aspects

* What can you do?