Good light for the poor

Over the years without electricity, sharing a blind oil lamp, student Evans Wadongo invented the solar lantern - Mwanga Bora (Good Light) to change lives for those poor people in Kenya .

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Longing for light

Being the fourth son in a family always emphasizes the importance of education, so since Wadongo has been studying very hard since childhood. But because the house has no electricity, 4 Wadongo siblings must share the oil lamp only. The creepy kerosene lamp was just enough to illuminate a corner of the table. Light flickered, black smoke flew out . making Wadongo always have a feeling of bitter eyes, constantly rubbing, making learning time constantly interrupted.

'In the village, many children quit school because there was no electricity. Their families also did not have money to buy oil to light the lamps. At the time, I thought that if I could do anything to improve this situation, I would do my best, ' Wadongo said. Wadongo's dream began to become a reality when he was 19 when he was attending Kenya University of Agriculture and Technology. At that time, Wadongo and a group of other students at the school attended a test of Christmas lights used for Christmas. According to speakers, there is a fairly stable (non-toxic) alternative to lighting in areas without power grids, that is to use solar energy, however, for residents In remote areas, low income, this cost for lighting is still not cheap.

Evans Wadongo with the solar lamp MwangaBora

On the way home, Wadongo visited a passionate friend who experimented with solar panels, and saw images of artisans knitting lanterns in processing workshops. In his mind he came up with the idea of ​​producing lanterns using solar energy. After many tinkering, in 2004, Evans designed a solar lamp that he called 'MwangaBora' (Swahili means 'Good Light').

Considering this is an important work to solve the problem of education for the poor, climate change, health and poverty in rural areas in Kenya, Evans named the entire project as ' Use Solar, Save Lives' (Using solar energy, saving lives). Accordingly, the lamp is made of recycled materials accounting for 50-70%, using small solar panels, in LED cages. After charging for 8-10 hours, it can provide energy and use for at least 6 - 10 hours.

Just a light bulb

To help the project start, family and friends have borrowed funds for Wadongo. Initially, the production plan faced many difficulties, but the young Wadongo still persevered while exploring, researching, and continuing to experiment to produce solar-powered lanterns. In 2006, he joined SDFA-Kenya - a non-profit organization in Kenya. SDFA-Kenya adopted Evans ' 'Use Solar, Save Lives' project and considered it as a major project of the organization.

Thanks to Evans' solar lamps, poor Kenyan children can now study in the evening. Households can buy food with the money they save when not buying lighted oil. In addition, his solar lights also help reduce greenhouse gas carbon emissions. For people in many parts of Kenya, life has changed dramatically thanks to Evans' solar light.

In July 2011, in response to the growing international community's interest, Wadongo launched a ' Just One Lamp' plan - just a light bulb, a global campaign to raise capital and raise awareness. awake in using MwangaBora solar lights. Wadongo hopes to expand his model beyond the Kenyan border to other developing countries around the world with the goal of lighting up 100,000 difficult homes by 2015 and 1 million people out of poverty in the year. 2018.