Over the last 3 weeks, Let There Be Light International (LTBLI) conducted our annual Solar Site Visits in Kenya and Uganda. We met with hundreds of solar beneficiaries, many of whom told us that having access to safe, renewable lighting is improving their families’ health, safety, and economic stability (by reducing household expenditure on kerosene).

Through the donation of solar electrification systems to off-grid health clinics and small but powerful solar lights to individuals and households, our innovative solar programming is brightening hundreds of thousands of lives. Although access to basic lighting is integral to healthy, safe, and productive lives, there currently are no social safety net programs meeting the basic lighting needs of vulnerable off-grid households in many communities. While governments and organizations are working on large-scale energy projects, LTBLI advocates for immediate access to basic lighting technology for all vulnerable families living in extreme energy poverty. In order to truly “Leave No One Behind,” and achieve SDG7, (energy access for the 900 million people still living in un-electrified communities), LTBLI works with our local partners and stakeholders to donate solar lights for women and children’s health, safety and economic empowerment.

On this trip, LTBLI and our partners inspected 5 solar-electrified health clinics. We visited 16 solar recipient homes. A hallmark of the trip were our 3 community-wide solar celebrations for our innovative *Safe Births + Healthy Homes project. Thanks to the outreach by efforts by our partners, more than 850 community members, health workers and beneficiaries attended the celebrations.

LTBLI prioritizes new mothers, elders, students and people living with disabilities as recipients of solar lights.

*Note: the Safe Births + Healthy Homes project incentivizes rural off-grid mothers to give birth with trained medical staff at local clinics through the donation of a solar light for their use at home. Health and safety impacts (including attended birth rates, maternal and infant mortality, bednet usage, respiratory infection, and vaccine rates) are being tracked by LTBLI and our local partners.