Autumn 2005

Lifeline Energy is one of the charities to benefit from Participant Productions' film, Good Night, and Good Luck, released nationally in the UK this week. The film has received six Oscar nominations including Best Actor for George Clooney.

Goodnight, and Good Luck is Participants' second film. It is a drama about the downfall of Joseph McCarthy and it is already an international box office success that has triggered widespread discussion about the freedom of the press. With media censorship as the film's central issue, our project Radios for Grassroots Democracy project in Kenya was a natural choice for Participant's donor campaign.

Participant Productions, started by eBay founder Jeff Skoll, create commercial yet socially responsible films. Their goal is to deliver compelling entertainment that also inspires audiences to get involved. To encourage active participation, they have created a philanthropic giving capability. Motivated individuals can give to social and economic development projects.

GlobalGiving recommends donor projects to Participant Productions. Our radio-based information and education projects feature regularly in GlobalGiving campaigns. Thousands of dollars have already been raised for the foundation’s Radios for Grassroots Democracy Radio project, through which Nobel Peace prize winner, Wangari Maathai, is leading a campaign to strengthen freedom of speech in Kenya, through involve women and children more in participatory governance and education.