Challenge
Support literacy in rural areas without electricity or internet access
Illiteracy in individuals and their community limits growth and development. Without aid, ideas on technology, health, agriculture, etc., become hard to share, and illiteracy rates don't improve. Education on the issues at hand and on reading itself is crucial to helping communities grow beyond what they are.
Literacy Bridge was founded in 2007 to advance health, education, human rights and socioeconomic development. Its Talking Book is a simple and low-cost audio-based mobile device that allows people with minimal literacy skills in rural areas, without electricity or internet access, to share knowledge on agriculture and health, as they gradually advance their literacy.
Founder, software developer Cliff Schmidt, won the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow Award for his work, and is now a member of Clinton Global Initiative.