Throughout Africa, people are living with illness, poverty, and political instability. One of their greatest needs is to be connected to education and practical information. Valuable radio programs covering health, business, politics, current events, and classroom lessons were available but the batteries to run radios are expensive, and electrification reaches only ten percent of sub-Saharan Africa, rendering the devices useless. After meeting countless Rwandan children orphaned by AIDS or genocide, bearing burdens far beyond their years, Kristine Pearson was inspired to found the Freeplay Foundation to develop a radio especially to help connect these children to news and on-air classroom lessons.

Kristine's vision has been key to the rapid growth of the FreePlay Foundation. In 2001, FreePlay Foundation used the first $50,000 Tech Museum Awards prize to develop the Lifeline radio (video). There are now almost 100,000 Lifeline radios committed to various humanitarian projects in developing countries, with over 2 million listeners.

Orphans in Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, refugees from Burundi, and tsunami survivors in Indonesia's Aceh province are all benefiting from their Lifeline radios and programming. The trusted and encouraging voices of the announcers provide vital information on AIDS and health issues, educational programming, news, weather and agriculture.