About Lifeline Energy

     Classroom and radio teacher working together.

A mission-driven non-profit social enterprise, Lifeline Energy designs, manufactures and distributes solar-powered and wind-up MP3 players and radios for classroom and community listening. No one does what we do. Our technology goes where others can’t or don’t.

Imagine a school. One classroom. No electricity. Many children; all different ages. No trained teacher.

Then imagine a Lifeplayer MP3-radio, loaded with hundreds of hours of fun, interactive school lessons. Able to tune into the radio and directly record programmes.  Or record children’s voices. Powered by the sun.

Our media players and radios provide education access to children, teach mothers how give the best nutrition for the children, help farmers increase yields and deliver support to displaced families.

Delivering results

We deliver sustainable education and information access to the most vulnerable: orphans, children, women, refugees and people in poor health. When humanitarian emergencies strike, we respond with radios and lights for displaced populations around the world

Since 1999, more than 600,000 solar and wind-up MP3 players and radios have been distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa and beyond reaching many millions of listeners. Each unit benefits an average of 40 listeners. However, given the huge class sizes in many African countries, that number could twice as high.

Lifeline Energy has a consistent and proven track record of delivery on both large-scale and small projects. We work across development sectors, including: education, health, agriculture, peace-making, the environment, and emergency response. (More about how we work and what we can do for you can be found here.)

Why Solar Radios or MP3s for Learning?

Despite increased cell phone and internet coverage in sub-Saharan Africa, radio remains the primary means of communication. Different technologies are used for different purposes. Radio (or MP3) remains the most effective and cost effective say to reach under-served areas with high quality content.

Scarce or non-existent electricity in rural areas, coupled with the ongoing high cost of batteries, make radios too costly for the poorest, especially for women. That means people miss out on important information and education programmes that are created to benefit them. When that happens, people end up making critical choices and decisions (about their crops, their health or their finances) by guessing.

Audio learning, whether by radio or MP3 helps learners develop concentration and listening skills. Education is the key to a nation’s future. It is fundamental to every person’s confidence and self-esteem.

While achieving universal access to primary education is a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), millions of children in developing countries don’t attend school regularly, or at all. Girls are less likely to attend school and stay in school than boys. In Africa women make up more than 65% of the continent’s adult illiterate population. Poverty robs many adults of opportunities to gain knowledge and practical know-how. A radio or MP3-based education can bridge that gap.