For Immediate Release TURBANA STRENTHENS PARTNERSHIP WITH ‘ONE LAPTOP PER CHILD’ TO EDUCATE AND INSPIRE ITS BANANA-GROWING COMMUNITIES IN COLOMBIA Through Turbana’s Social Foundation, Underprivileged Children are Immersed in Technology, Connectivity, and Growth with Turbana’s Second Donation of 1,000 Laptops CORAL GABLES, Florida (January 9, 2013)- Today Turbana announced its partnership with the “One Laptop per Child” foundation in order to provide new and durable XO laptops to Turbana’s banana and plantain-growing regions. Based on the positive results of their first donation of 800 laptops in 2010, Turbana is providing an additional 1,000 laptops to the rural and underprivileged areas of Urabá, Colombia. Instrumental in this effort is Turbana’s longstanding social foundation Fundauniban, which trains teachers and educates children and their families on how to interact with and optimize new technologies, bringing communities inspiration and growth. Gladys Adriana Ruíz, a teacher involved with the initiative said, “What Turbana and Fundauniban have been doing towards education is very meaningful because they offer these children in Urabá better opportunities in life by giving them access to the world through technology.” XO laptops are unique because they’re designed to work in tough conditions and remote areas, affording children connectivity on a global scale. The laptops’ operating system and interface allow the children to identify other groups and users of XOs in its geographic proximity, thus encouraging learning and collaboration. Parents and teachers also receive training on how to use the computers, creating an exponential effect in the communities. An eighth grade student at the Santa Fe School noted, “Thanks to this project, I've learned many things, to the point that today I'm a tutor of the lower grades.” Through Turbana’s involvement, 3,706 children and their families throughout the Urabá region learn to solve their own challenges, supporting one of its key philosophies: Don’t give people fish; teach them how to fish, and the strong belief that education is the foundation for finding solutions for growth and sustainability. Turbana’s chief executive officer, Juan David Alarcon, commented, “We are so happy that we have been able to make a second contribution of laptops to Fundauniban to help our communities in a way that is both maintainable and stimulating. On behalf of both organizations, I would like to give a special thanks to Horizon Stevedoring, operating out of the Port of Philadelphia, for its contribution and for making our goal of 1,000 laptops possible. We encourage all our customers and vendors to join us in this effort to help underprivileged kids get the education needed for a prosperous future.” PR CONTACT Spun Eva Fedderly 1 (908) 642-4619 eva@spunpr.com ###
About Turbana Turbana Corporation is the fourth largest importer of bananas, the leading importer of Fair Trade Certified bananas and plantains, as well as a growing importer of Fyffes gold pineapples in the U.S. The company’s commitment to social responsibility, product quality and customer service excels in the industry. Turbana is owned by two parent companies: Fyffes, one of the largest tropical produce importers and distributors in Europe, and by Uniban, the world’s largest banana co-op of independent growers based in Colombia. For additional information, please visit, www.turbana.com. About the One Laptop per Child Foundation The One Laptop per Child Foundation (OLPC at http://www.laptop.org) is a nonprofit organization created by Nicholas Negroponte and others from the MIT Media Lab to design, manufacture and distribute laptop computers that are inexpensive enough to provide every child in the world access to knowledge and modern forms of education.