This project brings light and with it dignity to the lives of the homeless living on the streets by providing them with clean, safe solar light. Many groups give food and personal hygiene items, but few, if any, give them the gift of light. Many homeless sleep in tents, under bridges, in parks, or in other unlit areas. They need light for personal safety, to sort through medications and belongings, or just to read. Some sleep in abandoned buildings and use candle, which present a risk of fire.
Many organizations provide food and personal hygiene items to the homeless on the streets. None, as far as we know, provide solar lanterns. This poses a safety hazard as well as a quality-of-life issue. Some, particularly those sleeping in abandoned buildings, wooded areas, under bridges, or in tents resort to dangerous options for their light, such as candles, kerosene lanterns, or open fires. The homeless also need light to read or sort through their belongings during the hours of darkness.
The light provided by solar lanterns will improve the quality of life of the street homeless tremendously while also adding to their feelings of self-worth. It will also improve their safety to the extent that it eliminates the need for candles, kerosene lanterns, or open fires. Additionally, it will allow them to navigate unlit areas more safely. This is especially important for those sleeping in unlit stairwells, abandoned buildings, wooded areas, or near metro tracks.
Improving the quality of life of the homeless is an end in itself. Regular donations will allow the project to continue to do so over the long-term. The project will also improve public safety by eliminating the need for candles, kerosene lanterns, or open fires. This is a major threat in urban areas, especially in abandoned buildings, where house fires are a recurrent problem. In that this is a first-of-its-kind program, other long-term effects will be the subject of future study.
