Lifeline Energy Blog / Clinton Global Initative
Lifeline Energy has been chosen as a featured organization at this week’s meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative.
Watch our CEO Kristine Pearson live with former President Bill Clinton and ABC host Diane Sawyer at 9am EST/2pm GMT http://www.clintonglobalinitiative.org/webcast
You can also get the latest updates by following or twitter.com/FreeplayFound or twitter.com/ClintonTweet
Clinton Global Initiative highlights Lifeline Energy (formally Freeplay Foundation) as featured humanitarian organisation. Click on the following link to read the press release featured on the Reuters website:
Clinton Global Initiative
Highlights Freeplay Foundation
As Featured Humanitarian Organization
New York, September 21, 2009…. Freeplay Foundation announced today that it has been chosen as a featured organization at this week’s meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative. The Foundation has pledged its intent to integrate the award-winning Freeplay Lifeline radio and new clean energy Lifelight into a program benefiting 20,000 extremely poor women and girls across Rwanda.
Rural women and girls will gain reliable, on-demand access to radio and Internet information and renewable lighting via solar-powered and wind-up Lifeline radios and Lifelights. Participants will be able to access health, literacy and economic development information, as well as agricultural advice and practical life skills information. LED Lifelights provide both focused task illumination and ambient area light. The women and girls will be able to undertake after-dark small businesses such as weaving and beading, and they can study and walk safely at night.
The Honorable James Kimonyo, Republic of Rwanda Ambassador to the United States, champions Freeplay Foundation’s commitment to action.
“Freeplay Foundation is a proven NGO in Rwanda and I fully support their pledge,” said the Ambassador. “Children breathe in toxic fumes and damage their eyes when they study to kerosene lamps and candles. Light is needed in every situation after seven o’clock, and our students will never become properly educated if they can only study under these unhealthy conditions.”
To read the rest of the News Release, please visit our Media Centre.
CEO Kristine Pearson is attending the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York City from 22-25 September 2009. This prestigious forum brings together world leaders, proven NGOs, prominent individuals and private sector decision-makers to take action on critical global challenges. Our Commitment to Action is to provide 20,000 rural women and girls in Rwanda with clean energy Lifelights and Lifeline radios. Interested females will sign up to participate in the nationwide project and will use their Lifelights to extend the hours of their small businesses or to start up new ones. More than 1,300 radio listening groups will be created to discuss important educational, health and agriculture information to help improve their lives.
His Excellency James Kimonyo, the Rwandan Ambassador to the US, is a strong supporter of our CGI Commitment. “No matter how far-reaching our Government’s efforts to promote education extend, our children will not become educated with only a few hours of reading each week,” said the Ambassador. “The ability to read and study after nightfall is the key to success in the classroom.”
Thousands of non-profits vie for an invitation to CGI and we are honoured to be among a handful of organisations that received a complementary invitation, allowing us to forego the $20,000 attendance fee.
Our long-standing project partners CARE International in Rwanda, Fair Children Youth Foundation, Institute of Research and Dialogue for Peace, Trust and Care and Radio Salus will be partnering with us on this important initiative.
