This is my nephew’s little sun light. Despite being 7 he has the natural instinct of a male and has marked his lantern to distinguish it from the others that we have.
When one thinks of solar energy it seems like it is so expensive and so unaffordable. But what if it is not. What if it is so affordable and can change the world the world of a child, bring light were there was once darkness, bring joy where once despair was the order of the day.
Before I get to that, a little bit of history about our little suns. We bought a couple of little lights a couple of years ago from one of our friends. The great thing about the lights is that they are so easy to use and even to charge that a child can do it. Believe me my nephew knows that they have to be charged and he even knows how to charge them so that they can store enough solar power so that when the lights go we can use them. The great thing is that they are durable and have a one time cost.
Many children in slums and rural areas are disadvantaged because they don’t have access to electricity, which ends up being a stumbling block in their quest for education because they cant read at night or even in the early morning. Kerosene costs have gone up and it also has side effects as it slowly suffocates you, scaring your lung tissue for life, especially if you are a child, and gives you a headache.
If children don’t get time to study this adversely affects their grades. This means that a bright child may not get the opportunity to go to a school where they can perform better. Children are unable to reach their potential.
My nephew is a child of privilege. He has never had to go a day without electricity (when Kenya Power are doing their job). And even when there are no lights he has the option of using his little sun lantern. He is one of the lucky few. Many households do not have access to electricity and even the money to buy a solar lamp is usually out of reach.
This situation of despair is slowly changing. Now solar lamps is being taken to villages around Kenya as part of an initiative by Giveawatts. The mission of GIVEWATTS is to provide clean energy to schools and clinics in developing nations. Givewatt says “We don’t give to individuals, or to households, but work with institutions in communities, building the necessary infrastructure for the community together with the community, so that they become better equipped to care for their members”
“There are more than 1.5 billion people on our planet that don’t have access to electricity, or almost 1 out of 4. Most of them are young. 1.5 billion people is a daunting number of people. But by coming together, by starting with one child, we know how we can help millions of them.”
To find out more about GIVEWATTS and how you can support them check out http://www.givewatts.org/about.
