Freeplay Foundation - Market Access via Radio for Rwandan Coffee Farmers

Address

Freeplay Foundation
71 Gloucester Place
London, United Kingdom W1U 8JW
United Kingdom
+ 44 (0) 207 935 53
http://www.freeplayfoundation.org

Mission

The Freeplay Foundation is unlike any other nonprofit humanitarian organization in the world. Our sole mission is to provide radio information and education to the poorest of the poor via self-powered radios. Using patented wind-up technology and solar power, Freeplay Lifeline radios do not require batteries or electricity. We provide people with sustained access to vital, even life-saving radio broadcasts that address issues including education, health, disaster response, and peacemaking.

Programs

The Freeplay Foundation’s work cuts across most aid sectors, including education, health and HIV/AIDS, agriculture, democracy & governance, disaster relief, and the environment. Some sample projects from 2005 include: radio education for 52,000 child workers in Tanzania; distributing almost 8,000 more Lifeline radios to orphans in Rwanda, and providing 1,250 Lifeline radios to victims of the tsunami. We focus on children and women, the most vulnerable people in the world.

Freeplay Foundation's Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Make an orphaned child the “Light of Your Life”
Make an orphaned child the “Light of Your Life” 		Rwanda Radio Project for Orphans
Rwanda Radio Project for Orphans

Freeplay Foundation's Funded Projects on GlobalGiving

Market Access via Radio for Rwandan Coffee Farmers
Market Access via Radio for Rwandan Coffee Farmers 		China Radio Information Project for the Blind
China Radio Information Project for the Blind 		Radios to Educate Child Laborers in Tanzania
Radios to Educate Child Laborers in Tanzania 		Radios for Grassroots Democracy Project in Kenya
Radios for Grassroots Democracy Project in Kenya
Radio education for South African AIDs orphans
Radio education for South African AIDs orphans 		Radio Education for Out-of-School Zambian Children
Radio Education for Out-of-School Zambian Children 		Radios to Support Tsunami Survivors in Indonesia
Radios to Support Tsunami Survivors in Indonesia

Personnel Overview

Michelle Riley - Senior Consultant, Freeplay Foundation
Michelle has served as the Foundation's senior consultant since 2000. She develops partnerships with U.S. charities, is liaison to the U.S. Agency for International Development, and works with American media outlets and grant-making organizations.

Peter Kettler - Specialty Coffee Industry Expert
Peter conceived of the radio project for coffee farmers and brought the idea to the Freeplay Foundation. Having been in the industry for more than 25 years, Peter was a founding partner in Stone Creek Coffee and launched Holland Coffee Midwest in 1999.

Timothy Schilling - Director of USAID/PEARL, Texas A&M University
Dr. Schilling is an agronomist, manager and former researcher with strong market orientation and experience in cooperative development. His leadership and innovation were responsible for Rwanda's entry into the lucrative Specialty Coffee market.

Personnel Statistics

Kristine Pearson, Executive Director
Founded in 1998
Employees: 10
Volunteers: 0