More than 2,600 laptops given to Asháninka children by Peru’s Education Ministry and the Junín Regional Government gather dust as 50 of the 73 communities targeted by the project lack electricity, and consequently no way of recharging their computer batteries.
“It’s true that most of these communities have no electricity,” said Regional President Vladimiro Huaroc, who admitted to the oversight and promised to invest $200,000 in the purchase of 100 solar panels to provide power in the 50 Asháninka communities that are not connected to the electric grid.
“Two solar panels will be delivered to each community,” added Huaroc, who plans to deliver more laptops to Andean and jungle communities.
Last year, Peru President Alan García handed out 68 laptops to impoverished Huancavelica schoolchildren, without taking into account that the computers’ batteries were damaged and that the computers were configured in English.
