Despite the heavy rainfall last Wednesday, residents of Buxton and surrounding communities gathered in large numbers at the Tipperary Hall, in Buxton to receive their laptops as the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) programme continued distribution in Region Four.
More than 450 beneficiaries from Vigilance, Friendship, Buxton, Annandale and Courbane Park received their laptops.
Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill, who was present at the exercise, highlighted that this initiative is for Guyanese and that the programme is designed in such a way that “it is non-discriminatory, everybody that qualifies will benefit… this is for every person who qualifies and that is the nature of the PPP/ C government.”
A five-day training session is also being offered to the recipients to ensure they are able to use the device.
Beneficiaries of this initiative expressed their gratitude to the government for this programme. One recipient, May Glenn said that this initiative is a very good one; and it will prove very beneficial to the children, who are tomorrow’s future.
Evelyn Adams said she was happy that the government was giving out laptops, as it will aid her grandchildren in their school work.
The current exercise is a continuation of the distribution that commenced in May, and primarily targets Region Four. This initiative is focused on the distribution of 6000 laptops to recipients of the East Coast, East Bank and Georgetown areas.
The OLPF programme was originally launched in 2011, to equip 90,000 families with laptops and to expand the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT). The programme was pioneered by former President Bharrat Jagdeo, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
