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Report 4 (of 5): Winding Hope
- Rwanda
Introduction
Radios are providing a lifeline to
the isolated children of Rwanda, thousands of whom
have been forced to take on the role of adults heading
households after being orphaned by the genocide, war
and HIV. Project Radio Rwanda was created to distribute
radios that are powered without electricity or batteries,
and provide vital education to these children about
practical issues such as health care, clean water,
improved farming methods and a host of desperately
important subjects.
See The
Digital Revolution - Information and Communication
Technologies for an overview on the global picture
on ICTs.
The genocide that took place in Rwanda
in 1994 saw the systematic massacre of almost one
million Tutsi, Twa and moderate Hutus by the Hutu
extremists, on a scale unprecedented in modern African
history. The lives of individuals have been profoundly
affected and the nation remains haunted by this act.
One of the most devastating consequences is a legacy
of approximately 65,000 child-headed households, which
has been compounded by more children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
In total, over 400,000 children live alone without
an adult, the oldest children looking after three
to five younger children.
These families are extremely vulnerable,
living in abject poverty (two thirds of the country
lives below the poverty line) and traumatised by acts
of violence. They have little chance of accessing
formal education or health services. The children
are forced to take on responsibilities normally reserved
for adults - most notably finding a living, often
through subsistence farming or doing odd jobs for
people who could exploit them. The luckier families
make enough money to send one child (usually a boy)
to school. Given their responsibilities and lack of
money, the heads of household are unlikely to re-enter
or attend school. Without school and relatives, these
children therefore lack all the traditional sources
of information.
The Power of Radio
Radio has the power to access far
more people than any other form of information and
communication technology. Experts estimate that less
than 20 per cent of the world's population has access
to a telephone, while even fewer have a regular supply
of electricity, much less television or internet access.
Radio can reach ears isolated by geography, language,
conflict, illiteracy or poverty, those who have no
phone or electricity. It is the primary medium of
communication in developing countries, where most
people live below the poverty line.
Rwanda has one of the lowest literacy
levels in Africa, excluding most people from reading
newspapers and other print media. Radio, therefore,
is the medium for information. It plays an
important role in providing children with information
and education in even the most remote communities.
| Lifeline Technology
The Lifeline radio is an invention of Freeplay,
using state-of-the-art direct charge technology.
Human energy, applied by winding the crank
handle, is transferred via a transmission
to an alternator. The alternating current
produced by the alternator is then rectified
to direct current - which in turn charges
an internal rechargeable battery. The transmission
has, through design and material choice, been
developed to withstand the harshest operating
conditions. Similarly it has been robustly
engineered to be maintenance free and ensure
many years of reliable service. In accelerated
lifetime testing the Lifeline radio has undergone
500 000 input crank cycles without failure.
Similarly that battery has been subjected
to 10000 typical usage cycles without failure.
A significant benefit of the direct charge
system is that the radio can be wound indefinitely,
thus increasing playtime. Similarly the radio
operates while winding, ensuring that there
is no downtime while recharging and therefore
no valuable information is missed. The Lifeline
Radio is also powered by a detachable Solar
Panel. This panel converts energy from the
sun into electricity and stores it chemically
in the battery. In full sunlight the panel
will both power the radio and charge the battery.
Stored energy can be drawn on as required
- allowing access to radio programming through
the night using energy harvested from the
sun.
Source: Freeplay
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A Radio That Last and Lasts
The major constraint to radio listening
is power. Less than 5 per cent of the population in
Rwanda has access to electricity and batteries are
expensive, costing up to a week's salary and often
of poor quality. The Lifeline radio was a brand new
radio developed exclusively for children living on
their own, to provide distance education or other
humanitarian assistance, and much of the research
and development for it was undertaken in Rwanda. The
Lifeline radio does not require batteries or electricity
and can be taken into the field while children work,
allowing them to listen throughout the day.
Copyright © Freeplay Foundation |
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Engineered to be operated in the harshest
of rural conditions and climates, the Lifeline radio
is robust, easy to operate, colourful, receives excellent
reception on AM, FM and SW wavelengths. It can be powered
by hand, running on either wind-up energy or solar power.
The former is a crank that stores energy provided by
either into a constant force spring and the latter is
a solar panel. Fully charged, the Lifeline will give
up to 24 hours' play time, depending on volume.
- The antenna is an ordinary piece
of wire, which can be replaced easily. As many antennae
break, this one can be removed and replaced at will.
The rainbow-shaped dial scale has large print for
easy reading, even by the visually impaired. Each
band is colour coded for children to understand.
- The dial scale and Lifeline radio
can be custom produced in any combinations of colours.
- Four-band coverage - AM, FM, SW1
and SW2 - ensures access to many channels and perspectives.
- Each knob is designed a different
shape for ease of identification.
- The sound quality is excellent,
enabling groups of up to 40 people to hear the radio
clearly.
- The winding handle (on the back)
can be turned in either direction to charge the
radio. Fully charged, the Lifeline can play for
up to 24 hours.
- The solar panel is housed in a
detachable waterproof casing on a 3-metre lead with
magnetised clips on top to hold it in place. The
Lifeline radio operates in extreme temperatures,
rain, moisture, dust, sand and humidity.
- A child can grip the handle without
difficulty. While the Lifeline radio is large, it
is lighter than the Freeplay radios used in other
development projects.
The Lifeline radio costs from US$40
to $50 depending on volumes ordered and shipping costsand
has been used in several countries. It is available
to aid and donor agencies that support children, youth
and for other humanitarian broadcasting projects,
but is not sold commercially.
Delivering Education
Copyright © Freeplay Foundation
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A radio is donated to a household on
the pre-condition that it is shared with neighbouring
children. The heads of households attended a workshop
where outreach workers instructed the children on the
correct use and care of the radios. They quickly realised
that children needed to be instructed in even the most
basic procedures, which needed careful explanation -
including how to tune in a radio, how the solar panel
works, or the purpose of an antenna. Each recipient
then demonstrated how to wind the radio, turn it on
and tune it in. To help, the Freeplay Foundation created
laminated cartoon instructions in the local language,
Kinyarwanda.
In addition, children marked a paper acknowledging that
they have received a radio, enabling Refugee Trust to
keep records of where the radios have been distributed.
In addition, outreach workers used the opportunity to
provide information on health and hygiene, to ask questions
and to listen to the children's concerns.
One child head of house, Mukakarimba, said that
the radios are not sold or exchanged for food,
but are closely guarded and highly prized. Today,
at thirteen, she looks after four younger siblings,
a goat and a chicken in a tiny two-roomed mud
house on a hill outside the town of Mugambazi,
a 90 minute drive from the capital, Kigali.
She has been the head of her family since she
was eight. The radio is her most important possession.
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Useful programmes of educational value
are essential to connect the children to the outside
world and improve their quality of life. They requested
information about HIV/AIDS, malaria, stomach diseases,
hygiene and nutrition. Heads of households often cited
as important information on how to take care of younger
siblings, as well as on farming and agricultural assistance,
the market price of crops, the weather, and current
events in Rwanda. Music was far down the list for most
heads of households.
The Lifeline radio can access the BBC, Voice of America
(VOA), Radio Rwanda, and Deutsche Welle providing
a combination of locally understood programmes in
Kinyarwanda, English and French.
An evaluation revealed that the number one programme
listened to by children was the news. With conflicts
still raging in frontier countries, memories of the
genocide and its aftermath, listening to the radio
and trusted stations, like the BBC and VOA, made them
feel safe and less vulnerable to rumours.
More programmes to assist and help children are urgently
needed and will be helped by plans by the Rwandese
Minister of Education to put parts of the primary
school curriculum on radio. Production is cheap, especially
compared to other mass media.
Currently, over 2000 radios have been donated and
distributed for the project. Thousands more radios
are needed to provide all 65,000 households with a
radio, training and support along with support for
radio programming. Each radio provides at least ten
children with access to radio listening, providing
up to 11,000 children with critical information and
education that can dramatically improve their day-to-day
lives. The children stated in surveys that being able
to listen to the radio helps to ease their sense of
isolation. Daily newscasts serve to let them know
that the violence is over and Rwanda is now stable,
that they are safe in their homes.
Acknowledgements
ITDG would like to thank Kristine
Pearson from Freeplay Foundation for her help in producing
this case study. It draws extensively from the material
available on Freeplay Foundation's website.
Further Information
Hands On
Series 1: Radio Active - Ghana
Freeplay Foundation's sole
mission is to enable sustained delivery of radio information
and education to the most vulnerable populations via
self-powered radios
http://www.freeplayfoundation.org/
Article
on radio project
Location of Foundation:
Unit 12, Montague Industrial Park
Montague Drive
Montague Gardens
7441
South Africa
Tel: +27 21 551 2002
Fax: +27 21 551 2096
Postal Address:
P.O. Box 36709
Chempet
7442
Cape Town
South Africa
If you want to make any donations contact Sonia Coleridge
Simon on scsimon@freeplayfoundation.org
Freeplay develops products
driven by multiple power sources: solar panels, rechargeable
batteries, or manually.
http://www.freeplay.net/
War Child UK is an International
Relief and Development Agency, dedicated to providing
immediate, effective and sustainable aid to children
affected by war in order to build peace, resolve conflict
and empower future generations.
International offices in USA, France, Canada, Holland
and Australia
http://www.warchild.org.uk/
RefugeeTrust is devoted "to
the relief and hardship throughout the world amongst
refugees and displaced families".
http://www.refugeetrust.org/
73a Blessington Street
Dublin 7
Ireland
Tel: +353 (0)1 882 0108
E-mail:refugeetrust@eircom.net
Radio Rwanda http://www.orinfor.gov.rw/radiorwanda.htm
The Communication Initiative
http://www.comminit.com/pdskdv102003/sld-8720.html
Information on what makes a good radio format/story
Radio for development
http://www.rfd.org.uk/
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