FreeRice: Make a Difference in the Fight Against World Hunger

FreeRice.com is a project to impact world hunger and provide English vocabulary quizzes at the same time for free by The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Creator John Breen donated FreeRice to the WFP in October 2007 with hopes that it would feed and educate people for years.

Does FreeRice really make a difference? Rice donated through the quizzes on FreeRice is distributed by the WFP. FreeRice rice fed 750,000 Mynamar citizens after the cyclone, 13,500 pregnant and nursing women in Cambodia for two months, 66,000 schoolchildren in Uganda for a week, and 108,000 Bhutanese refuges in Nepal for three days. It takes about 19,200 grains of rice to equal 400 grams, which is enough for two meals per day per person.

How does FreeRice work? FreeRice is a vocabulary game that offers a word and one-word definitions. You pick a definition and every time you get the answer correct, the organization or sponsor listed at the bottom of the page donates grains of rice. The words get progressively harder. If you miss a word, the word is repeated and you have the opportunity to try again. Word recognition through repetition and associations are a fantastic way to learn language and improve word knowledge. If you are an ESL (English as a Second Language) student, this is a fast way to increase your vocabulary.

Here is how to play: first, click on the link to FreeRice. An English vocabulary word and four words similar in meaning will show in the center of the page. On this day, the word is "apathy." The choices are "indifference," "magazine," "veterinarian," and "cop." Select "indifference," and the page changes to show a rice bowl with 10 grains of rice with the words underneath, "You have just donated 10 grains of rice. Please try another word." To the left of the bowl, the new word is "preeminent" and the choices are "elderly," "underwater," "melodious," and "outstanding." Playing the game again and selecting the correct definition puts 10 more grains of rice in the bowl.

What are the game options? Each quiz shows a level which can be changed. You can also re-start the quiz or select a different subject. Subjects include art (famous paintings), chemistry (chemical symbols), English (grammar and vocabulary), geography (world capitals and identifying countries on a map), math (basic and multiplication tables), and language (French, German, Italian, and Spanish). Questions start at the easiest level but of course you can change this after the first question.

Click the Options link and you can set your games to either start at the default (easiest) level or remember your personal rice donation each time you visit the site. Click the Set Options button to retain these settings.

The Freerice database includes words and questions that increase in difficulty. Words in the most difficult levels are those that most people answer incorrectly. The database keeps track of answers and adjusts the levels when necessary. As more people have played the game, these adjustments have become more accurate. You will find quite a challenge in the upper levels! A recent addition is the pronunciation link. Click the volume icon by the quiz word to hear the word spoken. The ESL learner certainly benefits from being able to see the word and its definition as well as hear the pronunciation.

Do I pay for the rice I win? Sponsors pay for the rice that you win during the session. The sponsor for my quiz was Yum Brands, owners of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's and A&W All-American Food restaurants. Clicking on the link at the bottom of the page takes me to their website, FromHungerToHope.com. On this website are other opportunities to learn about world hunger and make a difference through donations and personal action. Yum Brands donates money to combat World Hunger and provide emergency assistance through corporate sponsorship and employee volunteerism.

In 2008, almost 44 billion grains were donated through FreeRice, enough to feed over two million people for one day. Playing a free and fun game on the internet may not seem like much, but thousands are playing every day. Your winning "gifts" are combined with others' and together we can make a difference in the lives of the hungry in our world. Make a difference today: visit FreeRice.com and play your part in reducing world hunger.

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References:
FreeRice.com: http://www.freerice.com/
FromHungerToHope.com: http://www.fromhungertohope.com/
United Nations World Food Program: http://www.wfp.org/