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Sustainable Design Awards Toolkit
Section 1.6 - Success stories Wind-up radio
BayGen wind-up radio is manufactured in Africa for an African market The BayGen wind up radio is fully recyclable, and relies on renewable energy sources - hand power. The radios were originally manufactured locally by disabled people in South Africa. The inspiration for inventor Trevor Bayliss was the need to circulate information in Africa to help prevent to spread of AIDS. In a continent where many people are illiterate, have limited access to electricity and cannot afford batteries to power radios, the wind-up radio is an ideal solution to social, economic and environmental issues. The technology, in conjunction with organisations such as the Freeplay Foundation, opens up information, assistance and education to people throughout the world regardless of literacy or location. The Freeplay Foundation structure broadcasting systems in rural areas that educate locals on issues such as; primary and preventative health care, electoral education, getting information to refugees on the move, education, conflict resolution and agriculture. Child relief and you (CRY) Based on the principles that all children have rights, but when so many are born underprivileged, someone must stand up to take responsibility. CRY is not an international aid charity; it was created by, and has been maintained by the people of India, who have chosen to do something about the situation on the streets. - Rabindranath Tagore CRY organises schooling and training for underprivileged children, but their facilities desperately need funding. To fund the projects, cards are sold throughout India and exported by Fair Trade companies, featuring both traditional designs, and drawings made by the children themselves. The profits are put into developing the schools and investing in teachers for the children, who are considered "India's most precious resource". 
For more information visit: www.childreliefandyou.org Self-employed women's association (SEWA) The Self-Employed Women's Association is a group created by a need. It was founded in Ahmedabad, a city on the west coast of India with a high Muslim population. There are many women who, for a number of reasons, are the sole earners for their families, and must work to provide an income to feed their children. SEWA became a meeting of women, discussing their situation and supporting each other. Simple solutions, like operating a crèche system, where one woman looks after the other's children while the other women work allowed opportunities for the women that were not possible before. SEWA now trains women in business and money management, and provides services such as health care, childcare, banking and legal services and organises many campaigns to improve women's rights in the workplace. By coming together, these women have empowered each other, by utilising one another's skills and by giving each other freedom and choices. Women who have been helped by SEWA still support the ongoing work to help other women in the area. For more information visit: www.sewa.org Earn and learn schemes Poor families in India cannot afford the fees of schools, and to send a child to school would be to sacrifice their potential earnings, either begging or working. Some schools offer a nutritious midday meal for children who attend, encouraging parents to send their children to school where they can learn and educate themselves, and improve their standard of living. "Earn and Learn" schemes have been introduced throughout India in children's workplaces. The children must work to earn enough money to survive, but at the expense of their education. Without an education, the child will have no resources to step out of poverty, and his or her children will probably also be born into poverty. Earn and Learn schemes aim to teach the child in the workplace - simple lessons that focus on encouraging the child to have ambitions greater than the cycle of poverty. 13.image courtesy of www.webcom.com/infinet/ baygen.html 14.http://www.ogormans.co.uk/Bayliss.htm 15.www.freeplayfoundation.org 16.During the crisis in Kosovo in 1999, 40,000 Freeplay radios were distributed amongst fleeing refugees in an effort for them to keep in contact with the outside world and be advised of dangers. It also helped people to trace lost relatives.
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Sustainability Issues
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Toolkit Index
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