The first fifty laptop computers for the Brazilian government project Um Computador por Aluno (One Computer Per Pupil) arrived in the country this week. Produced by One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), a not-for-profit organization linked to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, they cost only around US$ 100 each.

The goal of OLPC is to 'provide children around the world with new opportunities to learn, explore and express themselves', and its long-term aim in Brazil is to sell a million low-price laptops.

The project could have a huge impact in Brazilian primary and secondary schools. Pupils will also be able to take the laptops home with them, thereby also providing their families with access to a computer.

Another thousand OLPC laptops are set to arrive in Brazil in January 2007.

For more information, visit the OLPC website.

Source: Agência Brasil and Embassy of Brazil in London