Audiopedia Fact Sheet

Audiopedia Fact Sheet

General Information

Audiopedia Foundation is a German non-profit organization founded in 2016 by Felicitas and Marcel Heyne. Originally named URIDU, the organization changed its name to Audiopedia Foundation in 2022 to better reflect its focus on providing accessible knowledge to marginalized communities, particularly women. Using the same technological backbone as Wikipedia, Audiopedia is an open and collaborative platform that aims to bridge the gap in education and empower marginalized women through technology. Through partnerships with organizations and communities around the world, Audiopedia has impacted the lives of millions, providing vital knowledge in areas such as health, hygiene, human rights, and more.

Mission Statement

At Audiopedia Foundation, our mission is to empower marginalized communities, particularly women and girls, by leveraging accessible technology to provide them with essential knowledge and information. We believe that access to information is a basic human right, and we work to bridge the digital divide by creating innovative solutions that enable everyone to learn and grow.

Vision Statement

To create a world where every woman has equal access to knowledge and opportunities through the use of accessible technology and community-driven solutions.

The Audiopedia Platform

Audiopedia is an open and free online platform that provides access to practical, life-saving information to marginalized communities, especially women, in remote areas of the world. It works by breaking down information into easily digestible audio segments that can be accessed through solar-powered audio players, mobile phones, and the internet. By using a community-driven approach, the platform aims to empower individuals to access knowledge and create sustainable change within their communities. The information covers a wide range of topics, including health, education, agriculture, and entrepreneurship, and is available in multiple languages.

Audiopedia Technology

Audiopedia uses a variety of open technologies to make knowledge accessible to marginalized communities around the world. At the core of the Audiopedia platform is MediaWiki, the same technology that powers Wikipedia. This allows for an open and collaborative platform that can be edited and updated by anyone with access to the internet. To make this knowledge accessible to those without internet access, Audiopedia uses a combination of accessible technologies, including solar-powered audio players, web apps, local wifi hot spots and more. 

Audiopedia Academy

Audiopedia Foundation is committed to building the capacity of local community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to utilize Audiopedia as an educational and outreach tool. To support this mission, Audiopedia offers Audiopedia Academy, a training program for CBOs and NGOs that provides the tools and knowledge necessary to effectively use Audiopedia in their community outreach efforts. Through this program, Audiopedia is empowering organizations to make a difference in the lives of women and marginalized communities by providing them with the education and resources they need to improve their communities.

Our Impact

Since its launch in 2016, Audiopedia has reached millions of people in more than 100 countries around the world, with a particular focus on marginalized women and girls in developing countries.

Some key statistics include:

  • Audiopedia reached more than 10 million people in 2021
  • More than 8,000 audio articles covering a wide range of topics have been created and made available through Audiopedia.
  • More than 10.000 volunteers worldwide support Audiopedia as translators, voice talent or software developers

Audiopedia has also had a significant impact on the lives of the women and communities it serves. For example:

  • In Uganda's Palorinya refugee settlement Audiopedia has empowered women with accessible health education and increased COVID vaccination rates. Beneficiaries have become agents of change towards prevention of COVID by encouraging others to get vaccinated and dispelling common myths. Read more ...
  • In the heart of the Congo rainforest, the Audiopedia project empowered the indigenous Aka community, with access to knowledge and education to improve their livelihoods and protect their cultural heritage. Read more ...
  • In Nigeria Audiopedia helped to bridge the health and development information gap among illiterate women and girls through the use of smartphones to access audio messages in Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, and Pidgin. Read more ...

These are just a few examples of the many ways in which Audiopedia is making a difference in the lives of marginalized women and communities around the world.

Projects in the field

Audiopedia Foundation has launched projects in the field with local partners across several countries, such as:

  • Nicaragua
  • Brazil
  • Congo
  • Uganda
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Ethiopia
  • Tanzania
  • Pakistan
  • India
  • Belize

The Foundation has been able to provide women and marginalized groups with knowledge and resources to improve their lives through these partnerships.

Recognition and Awards

Over the years, Audiopedia Foundation has gained recognition for its work in bringing accessible knowledge to marginalized communities. Through its use of innovative technology and partnerships with local organizations, Audiopedia has made a significant impact in improving the lives of millions of people around the world.

Here are some of the awards and recognitions the foundation has received in recent years.

  • In 2022, Audiopedia was selected by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for their Digital-X Catalogue
  • In 2021, Audiopedia reached the Grand Finale of Indias largest Social Innovation Challenge, the TATA Social Enterprise Challenge
  • In 2020, Audiopedia was selected for the first cohort of the UNLOCK Accelerator program by Wikimedia Germany
  • In 2020, Audiopedia was one of the winners of the Smart Development Hack by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the European Commission
  • In 2020, Audiopedia was selected as a game-changing health innovation by Health in Your Hands (HIYH)
  • In 2019, Audiopedia was recognized by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
  • In 2019, Audiopedia won the digital volunteering award of state government of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
  • In 2018, Audiopedia was selected for the first cohort of the Hatch Colab Accelerator in Geneva

Partners

Over the years, Audiopedia has collaborated with several partners, including:

Contact Information

Please use our contact form.

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