Monday, February 14, 2011

The Living Daylights

Sometimes you can’t see the things that are right in front of you.

Especially when you don’t have access to lighting.
Bringing light to the entire world, in a completely literal fashion, is the main mission of SunNightSolar. They do this through the production of Solar Flashlights they disseminate through the world through their BOGO project.

BOGO stands for Buy One, Give One and that’s exactly what they do. When somebody purchases a solar flashlight on their website, two flashlights will be sent out; one to the buyer, one to a charity. This system allows people to (a) get a state-of-the-art solar flashlight and (b) rest assured that someone who needs it gets one too. For example, after all the disasters happening in Haiti, BoGo worked together with the Clinton Global Initiative Light Haiti Project, providing crucial help to a people in need.



Marc Bent, CEO of SunNightSolar, sees lighting as crucial for the development of the underdeveloped regions of the world; in those, he looks specifically to the needs of the weakest; the woman and the children living in societies struck by war, famine, drought, misfortune...
In those societies, the introduction of (energy efficient) lighting has many important effects.
Financially speaking, the introduction of Solar Flashlights is an investment for the people involved. For example; whereas the people in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, have to spend a monthly 5 US dollars on Kerosene, a solar flashlight there has the one-time cost of 15 US dollars, and should last up to 10 years.... quite the investment.
 
The flashlights act as a deterrent and as a defence, creating safety & security. In refugee camps, women are generally in danger of being sexually assaulted by their fellow fugitives. When in possession of a flashlight, however, they can see potential perpetrators coming and identify them, acting as a powerful detergent to would-be rapists. It’s also a powerful tool to alert people of the presence of potentially dangerous animals – such as cougars, elephants or snakes – and scare those away.

In the impoverished areas of the world, children are needed to work on the fields or elsewhere. This means that they can not go to school or study during the day. Without inexpensive lighting, these kids would never get any learning or reading done and would be condemned to live out their lives in miserable conditions. A simple light would go a long way to fix that...

In the absence of solar lights – or even regular, old-fashioned light bulbs – people are forced to resort to kerosene lamps and wood fires. Kerosene lamps emit noxious fumes & have been proven to cause eye, nose and throat infections and kidney and liver afflictions, and the combination of shabby living conditions and wood or kerosene fires often lead to accidents with many casualties as a result. The whiter, cleaner solar lamps are also a lot better for doctors and midwives, who can do precision work without being bothered by a smoky environment.
Last but not least, of course, there are the environmental benefits. The use of kerosene lamps or wood fires causes a lot of emissions, which never occur with solar lamps. Compared to regular lamps (or even CFLs), solar lamps are better for the environment, as they are much more durable and their life span is many times longer.
Companies like SunNightSolar are trying to make these changes happen. This is why they are associated with Lighting Africa, an organization dedicated to introducing modern lighting technology in Africa. They are also very interested in bringing their mission to (South) Asia, and have contacted GVV to help them build the structures necessary to achieve this... 

We'll keep you posted on our progress in lightening the load of the people in rural India.

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