Kids learning program gets $40,000 boost from Hewlett-Packard

A program to create learning environments for children through the use of robotics and other digital technologies drew a $40,000 donation this week from U.S. commercial PC and printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard. HP will donate cash and equipment to the “Educational Robotics and Learning by Design” program, created by the Costa Rica-based Omar Dengo Foundation.

The foundation partnered with Funda Vida, an organization that fights poverty, to create a robotics and digital technology program to support the development of children growing up in marginalized zones of high-risk urban areas.

Since 2006, the Omar Dengo Foundation and Funda Vida have worked together to develop robotics as an educational discipline at the interative centers of Funda Vida to promote cognitive abilites and competitive technology among young children and teens.

In two years, the project is expected to have at least 300 benefiting students, train four teachers in educational robotics and have three interactive centers for developing programs in educational robotics.

HP is one of Costa Rica’s biggest employers in the services sector, with more than 6,000 employees who work in printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure.