December 2005

Tom Hanks, star of The Da Vinci Code, has been Lifeline Energy's US Ambassador for some years. He is a huge fan of the wind-up, solar-powered Lifeline radio and is pictured here with his own customised radio in his Da Vinci costume, taken shortly before a cover shoot for Newsweek.

In excerpts from a recent interview, Tom recalled the moment when he first discovered wind-up radio for himself.

I was on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno talking about the miracles of technology, one of which was a wind-up radio. No batteries, you could even power it with the sun - a marvelous invention that, had it existed during the cold war, could have brought the Soviet Union to its knees. Battery-less radio! I saw immediately the impact such a radio could have on impoverished peoples in Africa and the world.

It was a short step from the two-time Academy Award winner getting excited about Lifeline Energy to becoming its Ambassador in 2003. He told us why he had agreed to support our work:

Lifeline Energy does work that can be explained so elegantly and simply. They have these wind-up radios. They give them away. The people listen to them. Not very complicated, is it? Lifeline Energy warrants public support because of the immediacy of its mission: to put radios in the hands of people who need them. Often, our contributions go to problems with such long-range solutions, seeing results can take a long time. Lifeline radios can make a positive impact from the moment they are turned on in one of the villages.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson are strong supporters of our work. Their generosity allowed us to expand the Mambo Elimu initiative in Tanzania, which teaches primary education to child labourers. Lifeline Energy's mission to provide information and education to those most in need is one in which Tom passionately believes:

Education is not just ABCs and math. Stories that can hold a room of people spellbound, music that gets everyone singing and clapping along, information shared and understood when a group of people are huddled around a radio are all valuable and tangible blocks of an education.

For a village with no electricity, a wind-up Lifeline radio can deliver, literally, the world. Emergencies, health guidance, government instruction and environmental needs can be communicated instantly over a radio which will save lives, make life better, and maybe even make peace.

Tom Hanks is himself a keen radio listener and confirmed that he tunes in on a regular basis:

Radio is still the easiest technology and most simple medium in the world. I still listen to the radio for sheer pleasure, though there are not as many outlets that provide pleasure as there once were.

An ardent environmentalist, Tom also is impressed with the green credentials of the Lifeline radio:

The realised promise of the Lifeline Energy wind-up radio is a beautiful example of the alternative energy sources we need to not only develop, but use everyday. In this case, the lack of discarded batteries eliminates a serious pollution problem. I hope we pass a world on to our children where available commercial technology is centred on making our lives not only immediately better, but also safer, cleaner, and more environmentally friendly.