Give and Get this Holiday Season

As our children get older, we get dumber and they get smarter. Am not sure why or how that happens, but it definitely does happen. When a 10 year old tells you at the breakfast table that she doesn't need Christmas presents and that it would be better to give things or money to people who really need it- well, even Dad gets it.

So, we looked into it. I also had a chance encounter with one of my favorite projects in the world... First, thanks to Larry Magid for his column in the Mercury News- we thought it was a great idea:

Tech File: Sites help small investments make social impact

MICROLOANS A NEW WAY TO INVEST

By Larry Magid

Article Launched: 10/29/2007 01:36:31 AM PDT

An investment adviser suggested I diversify my portfolio with international holdings. But instead of buying an international mutual fund, I went to microplace.com to make a small investment in a group of Ghanaian businesses and thanks to kiva.org I now have an interest in a Bolivian pig farm.
http://www.mercurynews.com/search/ci_7310562?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

Both of the girls think this is a cool thing and we agreed that it would be a good way to invest their savings to help the world. ( See, I told you they were getting smarter than us! ) Well, Dad isn't slacking completely- he recently hooked up with one of the coolest gigs in the PR world, the gentleman who promotes the One Laptop Per Child initiative, SJ Klein. I got to play with the little green machine that our good friend Hector Ruiz and guiding guru Nicholas Negroponte has championed. It is a true paradigm shift.

This little thing CAN and - with our help- change the world for the better. So, as you think about what new gadget you want to give or get this holiday season, pause please, for just a moment and think about what you could give AND get. You can invest your money to help the developing world and/or you can buy a really cool laptop (yes, they DO have the handcrank and footcrank accessories) and one of those cool laptops will go to some child who REALLY needs the gift of such technology. Just seven days left in the campaign, so give the gift of giving early.

MB

http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/index.php

One learning child. One connected child. One laptop at a time.

The mission of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is to empower the children of developing countries to learn by providing one connected laptop to every school-age child. In order to accomplish our goal, we need people who believe in what we’re doing and want to help make education for the world’s children a priority, not a privilege. Between November 12 and November 26, OLPC is offering a Give One Get One program in the United States and Canada. During this time, you can donate the revolutionary XO laptop to a child in a developing nation, and also receive one for the child in your life in recognition of your contribution.