How I came across this blog is a story all on it’s own but I thought it was an awesome idea. FreeRice is a website that was created to accomplish two goals. To provide English vocabulary to everyone for free while also helping to end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.
On the front page of FreeRice is a given word. Underneath this word is a series of choices. One of these choices is the correct answer. For each answer you get right, 20 grains of rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program. For each answer that you get wrong, no grains of rice are donated and instead, you are shown the correct answer thereby making you smarter.
On the right side of the page is an image of a bowl. The more answers you get correct, the more rice that fills up the bowl. Once you reach 100 grains, a small picture of rice with the number 100 shows up and your bowl is emptied.
As you can see, in the span of 5 minutes, I’ve managed to donate 340 grains of rice. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t make me feel good about myself in the process.
One of the problems I’ve noticed with this game, if thats what you want to call it is that, when you get an answer wrong, they tell you which word was the correct answer. But if I don’t know the meaning of the correct answer, or the definition of the original word, then I’m double screwed. I’m not sure, but it appears to me as if this game is based on Synonyms. That is, different words with the same meaning. If that is indeed the case, then I suppose my argument for definitions becomes a moot point.
So how do these guys pay for the rice?
The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. This is regular advertising for these companies, but it is also something more. Through their advertising at FreeRice, these companies support both learning (free vocabulary for everyone) and reducing hunger (free rice for the hungry). We commend these companies for their participation at FreeRice.
Its worth noting that FreeRice is a non-profit organization and is not making a dime through FreeRice.
I thought this site and idea was definitely worthy of sharing. This is the ultimate example of being able to “kill two birds with one stone“. For more information in regards to the project, be sure to check out the FreeRice FAQ. By the way;
How many grains of rice have you donated?
Thoughts and Insanity From Jeff 