Are highest priority needs being met?
There has been a lot of news lately made of this story: Researchers at MIT have developed a $100 laptop for the rural poor children in developing nations so that they may access the internet. It seems that the United Nations is backing the idea. And someday the plan is to get them into the hands of all American children as well. This past week the chairman of Intel blasted the idea, calling it a mere 'gadget'. Of course, as Bill over at Achievable Ends correctly points out, since they don't contain Intel chips it sounds mostly like sour grapes on the part of Intel.
I'd like to take another angle on this story: Catholic Social Teaching, as well as Servant-Leadership, reminds us that we must always ask if people's highest priority needs are being met. It is this concern that lead to the great Catholic social documents in modern times. (Rerum Novarum, Centesimus Annus, Economic Justice for all, among others)
In my travels to developing countries, primarily in Central America, I have seen children struggling with amazing obstacles: hunger, disease, etc. And yet many of them were very happy with the little they had. Certainly they need help. But I'm not sure if low-cost laptops are even in the top half of that list. Will laptops with internet access put food in their bellies? Will it cure disease? It will certainly eliminate barriers children in these nations need to access the internet, and perhaps even inspire them to further their education; and in an ideal world it may even help inspire these young kids to go on and develop ways to eradicate disease and hunger from their country. But in the meantime, children are still dying of hunger and disease.
Giving the poorest of the poor in the world a laptop is indeed a great and noble idea. But there are greater priorities in developing nations. Servant-Leadership calls us to make sure those needs are met first.
I'd like to take another angle on this story: Catholic Social Teaching, as well as Servant-Leadership, reminds us that we must always ask if people's highest priority needs are being met. It is this concern that lead to the great Catholic social documents in modern times. (Rerum Novarum, Centesimus Annus, Economic Justice for all, among others)
In my travels to developing countries, primarily in Central America, I have seen children struggling with amazing obstacles: hunger, disease, etc. And yet many of them were very happy with the little they had. Certainly they need help. But I'm not sure if low-cost laptops are even in the top half of that list. Will laptops with internet access put food in their bellies? Will it cure disease? It will certainly eliminate barriers children in these nations need to access the internet, and perhaps even inspire them to further their education; and in an ideal world it may even help inspire these young kids to go on and develop ways to eradicate disease and hunger from their country. But in the meantime, children are still dying of hunger and disease.
Giving the poorest of the poor in the world a laptop is indeed a great and noble idea. But there are greater priorities in developing nations. Servant-Leadership calls us to make sure those needs are met first.
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