The village of Oulessebougou is eighty kilometers from the capital of Mali—but unlike Bamako—one of Africa’s fastest growing cities—things are a little quieter here.

But for children at the N’Tentoubougou School the arrival of thirty laptops has given pupils a lot to talk about.

‘I like chatting on a computer, says student Korotouma Doumbia, ‘but also playing the games, looking at pictures, and I like to look up information on birds and cars.’

Student Ibrahim Coulibaly says, ‘Computers are very important nowadays. I want to know how to operate a computer and later on to have a diploma and be able to repair computers myself.’

The computers have been donated by the charity One Laptop Per Child—which is dedicated to creating educational opportunities for children in developing countries.

‘At the moment we have 30 laptops. The first phase of that is orientation. We are first introducing the children to the basics of operating computers,’ says teacher Phili Samake.

The introduction of laptops here has been successful, but there are constant challenges to overcome. The electricity supply isn’t completely reliable and there’s also a lack of computer literate teachers.

Despite the drawbacks, pupils have been quick to learn the new technology and many are considering a future career in IT.