Nurture 200 dreams, Give a child a chance

The Solar Lamp Initiative continues to address one of the most overlooked barriers to learning in the communities we serve: the lack of safe lighting at home. Across communities especially in Eastern Uganda, many of the children in our education programs rely on kerosene lamps to complete homework after dark. These lamps are unstable and prone to tipping, and several families in our program areas have suffered burns or lost their homes to fires sparked by an overturned flame. For a child already navigating the challenges of staying in school, this is an added and entirely preventable risk.

Since the program began, we have distributed solar lamps to children identified as being most affected by unsafe lighting conditions at home, prioritizing households where kerosene use had already led to injury or property damage, as well as families in our Keep Her in School initiative who needed reliable light to complete evening study. Each lamp charges during the day using sunlight and provides several hours of steady, smoke-free light in the evening, requiring no ongoing cost to the family.

The results so far have been consistent with what we hoped to achieve. Children receiving lamps report longer and more consistent study time in the evenings, and teachers have noted improved homework completion among participating students. Households have also seen a reduction in spending on kerosene, and caregivers have expressed relief at no longer needing to monitor an open flame near sleeping children through the night.

Looking ahead, our focus is on expanding distribution to reach additional households still relying on kerosene, particularly in the more remote communities of Eastern Uganda where access to safe lighting remains limited. Continued donor support will allow us to sustain this momentum and extend the initiative's reach