The Campaign

Existing braille learning tools are too expensive and inaccessible for the majority of India’s 12-million+ blind and visually-impaired people. Without access to braille learning tools only 5% of them receive an education. Ravensburger, the world’s leading company for education toys and puzzles, partnered with the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute in India to develop Fittle, to offer braille literacy and education to Indias 2-million+ blind and visually-impaired children. Fittle is an innovative toy that helps children to learn braille words and also discover the shapes that the words represent in a playful and rewarding manner. The puzzles, designed by Ravensburger puzzle experts, are available online for free and can be 3D-printed anywhere at only material costs. With donations sourced from the puzzle-community, Ravensburger provided 3D-printers, to clinics and schools across India, to ensure the puzzles reached the hands that need them the most.

Creative Execution

The growing collection of Fittle puzzles was made available for free online, so that they could be printed at almost zero cost with 3D-printers provided by Ravensburger, all across India through the LVPEI network. This was to ensure that Fittle puzzles would be directly accessible to the hands that needed them the most. The project was promoted to the puzzle community and worldwide through online content and in-packaging promotion, which would reach millions of consumers. Through these avenues millions of people around the world were made aware of Fittle, with direct appeals to support the project and make donations that would fund further 3D-printers.

Results

Feedback from Indian institutions where Ravensburger has provided 3D-printers has been outstanding. The tactile nature of the puzzles allows the child to learn new braille words and discover the world in a rewarding manner that is relatively independent. This “learning through play” concept boosts the child's creativity and motivates them to want to learn more. • Millions of people motivated to support and donate to the Fittle project through Ravensburger in-packaging promotion • Up to 50+ puzzles printed per day • 2.5 million patients reached through the LVPEI Network • Since its release Fittle has been printed in every continent excluding Antarctica.

Through their involvement in Fittle, a non-profit project that emphasizes education-through-play for the visually impaired, Ravensburger was able to bolster their reputation as a socially responsible company that supports their core values of joy, education and togetherness. Using their strengths as puzzle experts, Ravensburger was able to directly influence much-needed braille literacy in the 3rd world, while simultaneously gaining worldwide support and consolidating brand-loyalty from their consumer base.

For Ravensburger, the world’s leading education toy and puzzle company, with the core values of joy, education and togetherness, partnering with L.V. Prasad Eye Institute to develop Fittle was a perfect fit. The project played into their strengths of puzzle development and perfectly aligned with their core values of education and social responsibility. The expanding collection of Fittle puzzles covers the whole alphabet and each puzzle was specially designed to provoke the imagination of the child. A lot of care was taken to ensure that it would be impossible to incorrectly combine the puzzle pieces. Ravensburger provided 3D-printers, funded by donations, to clinics and schools across India. This distribution method would enable the collection of puzzles to be continually updated and with just one 3D printer, thousands of models can be produced at only $0.5 material cost. Through Fittle, LVPEI can educate multiple more times with their budget.