MISSION & HISTORY

Question Box began, as it happens, with a question: “How can we bring information to people beyond the last mile – left behind by the digital revolution?” Question Box was developed as solution to reach the massive population that is left behind:

  • A world with well over 1 billion illiterate

  • 1 billion more reading only a local language

  • Where the cell phone calls easily cost 15-40¢ a minute, while a population lives on $1 a day.

  • A world made up primarily of impoverished women, children, and the aged.

We believe that lives can be saved and changed, if only the world’s most vulnerable had access to the right information and services in time. Currently, living far from medical, agricultural and educational professionals means being left behind unnecessarily. When an emergency, a disaster, or a massive crop disease outbreak happens, knowing what to do, where to go, and who can help you can make all the difference.

We imagined what might be possible if those experts and resources could be made available at a simple push of a button to the people who most needed them, when they needed them.

Question Boxes meet people where they live, on their terms. They are public helpline call boxes. No learning a new language, or walking a long distance, or mastering a new technology. Furthermore, for the implementing organization, call minutes are free from the callboxes to their destination number, allowing for unlimited use.

Question Box was founded by Rose Shuman in 2007, as a project of Open Mind Company, a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit in Santa Monica, California. We have developed and installed Question Boxes in locations across India and Uganda.

Currently, we provide technical support and hardware to existing development and social service programs that operate on the ground on consultancy and partnership bases. If you are interested in Question Box for your communities, please reach out and contact us .

Question Box would like to thank our funding partners, field partners, individual donors and supporters as well as a countless number of advisers, dedicated volunteers and maverick interns.

 

Partner Highlight: The Indigo Trust

indigo logo.jpg

The Indigo Trust is  a UK based grant making foundation that funds technology-driven projects to bring about social change, largely in African countries.  The Trust focuses mainly on innovation, transparency and citizen empowerment.

The Indigo Trust is providing support to Question Box, to scale and develop our operations worldwide. With Indigo's support, Question Box is making significant strides forward with our Health portfolio, helping partners provide lifesaving information and service linkages in extremely marginalized communities. We are very grateful for their continued support of Question Box, as well as for the support they provide to our many colleague organizations in the field.