The challenges faced by the poor today are not insurmountable. In many cases, what they need most is information – information on current market prices so that they are not cheated by traders; information on health and safety so that their children have a better chance of survival; information to increase crop yield and improve their businesses.

Education is also key, whether learning a new skill or just learning to read and calculate simple figures. UNESCO estimates 781 million people in the world are illiterate, 64% of whom are women.

In the developing world, radio is the primary means of communication. Where illiteracy is widespread, it is often the only source of reliable information and education. However, lack of access to electricity challenges even this simple medium.

Although tens of millions of dollars are spent worldwide each year to produce excellent radio programming aimed at assisting the poor, it often goes unheard. And in sub-Saharan Africa, only an estimated four percent of the population is connected to the internet.

Using the wind-up and solar-powered Lifeline radio, the Lifeline Energy can ensure information is delivered to the most inaccessible locations. With a turn of the knob, listeners access the world. They hear news and learn about places and things and solutions never imagined. They learn what their government is doing and how it affects them, and how they can stand up for their rights. Listening to the radio, they can learn English, mathematics, and science. Anything is possible.