Did you know that when the band LinkinPark isn’t making music, they’re raising funds to help light up the world?
In 2005, LinkinPark established Music for Relief, a grassroots effort from musicians, music industry professionals and fans to provide aid for those affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. Since then, the organization has raised over $5 million in donations, planted 1 million tree, and helped survivors of many natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami, and the famine in Somalia. The organization also seeks to educate artists and fans about how they can reduce their carbon footprint, and how climate change affects weather disasters.
Music for Relief was recently recognized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for its Download to Donate program to raise funds and awareness in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. And in recognition of its humanitarian work, LinkinPark received a 2011 Global Leadership Award from the United Nations Foundation.
Within the Music for Relief organization is a project called Power the World. LinkinPark learned that 1.3 million people worldwide have no access to electricity. This affects their ability to work and learn, as well as their safety. Even more seriously, many medical clinics and hospitals either close down at night, or operate in the dark. This is a particular problem for women who give birth at night. In Uganda and other regions where there is little access to electricity, 1 in 35 women die from pregnancy complications. Neonatal mortality (the death of the infant at or shortly after birth) is also high. LinkinPark lead vocalist Mike Shinoda recently said, “The dark is no place to practice medicine. It’s unimaginable to think of a mother delivering in the dark, or having a C-section by the light of a cell phone, but that’s what’s happening.”
To bring solar power to health clinics in Uganda, LinkinPark, through their non-profit organization Music for Relief, is working with We Care Solar, a nonprofit that designs and manufactures the Solar Suitcase, a high-efficiency solar energy system that fits in a carry-on suitcase. Designed for medical settings, the Solar Suitcase provides health workers with reliable lighting, mobile communication devices and power for medical devices. The suitcase is now used in 17 countries, including Uganda.
Reliable electricity is an often-overlooked intervention in the fight to reduce maternal mortality, said We Care Solar co-founder Dr. Laura Stachel, an obstetrician who since 2008 has researched maternal mortality in Africa. “Improved training, equipment, and medical supplies are all necessary to reduce maternal mortality,” said Dr. Stachel. “But health care workers can’t take full advantage of these interventions without reliable power.” She added, “Without power and light at night, mothers are dying from obstetric complications that are routinely treated in the United States.”
Linkin Park will be featuring the Solar Suitcase at upcoming concerts, and asks supporters to help pack a Solar Suitcase by making a gift of $10 or more by texting MFR to 85944 (in the US), or by clicking the Donate button on the Power the World website. Additionally, the band, along with other artists and influencers, is asking supporters and people worldwide to sign a pledge in support of Sustainable Energy For All. The pledge will be available for digital signature at www.powertheworld.org. The goal is to get as many signatures as possible by June 19th, when Music for Relief will deliver it to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in advance of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, better known as Rio+20.
Pranada Devi is a communications professional living in Toronto, Canada. She manages the Politics, Books and Activism sections for Parvati Magazine in addition to serving as Managing Editor for the magazine overall. She serves as an advisor on marketing communications for Parvati’s various projects.