Problem

A tragic legacy of the genocide in Rwanda is that almost one million orphans were left to fend for themselves. The tragedy is today compounded by AIDS and other diseases that daily leave more children without parents. According to official government statistics, children currently head an estimated 100,900 households. Girls as young as nine are forced to take on responsibilities a child should never have to face and care for younger siblings.

The Gift

The Lifeline radio you give will bring new hope to child headed households who live in conditions of extreme poverty and isolation, eking out a living by subsistence farming or doing odd jobs for neighbors who may exploit them. They may not be able to go to school or acquire basic life skills and information that they would normally have received from parents and community members. The Lifeline radio will ensure access to information about practical issues like health care, clean water, improved farming methods, animal husbandry, food security and children's rights. Robustly constructed to operate in the harshest of conditions, the Lifeline is rugged, easy to use and plays for many hours on wind-up energy or solar power. The radio gives orphans a voice they can trust, reduces their sense of isolation and helps them to feel safe at night.