Help Sean Light Up Africa
Solar for Schools
Many schools in rural parts of Africa have no electricity.
So when the sun goes down, the school stops. Schools can use candles or oil lamps. The light from these is poor, the smoke from burning is bad for children's health and bad for the planet. Both are dangerous - it is common to hear of tragic fires caused by a dropped candle or lamp. Kerosene oil used in lamps is also very expensive.
So schools often go without light when darkness falls.
There is a solution.
Using the extraordinary power of the sun. In Africa there is plenty of it!
Solar power uses energy from the sun in the daytime to provide light at night.
By installing solar power at a school, we will provide light for classrooms, and solar lamps for teachers and children so they can read after dark.
Why solar is so good
- It's clean - so good news for people's health and the environment.
- It's safe - you can't start a fire with a solar light
- It's free! Once a school has solar power - no more expensive kerosene.
- Children can study in safety
What difference does solar power make?
Children can study in safety at school and teachers can prepare lessons before sunrise or after sunset. More study time means better exam results and a better future for these pupils.
It costs SolarAid £1,350 to provide solar power to a school in Zambia.
With support from their community the school in Africa will raise £350. We need to raise the difference, £1,000 to provide solar power for each school.
Solar for Students
In ruralZambiawhere this project will operate, only 2% of households have access to electricity for lightning. So as well as providing solar power for schools, we will be promoting the benefits of solar lights to local communities.
Many people use candles to provide lighting at home. Candles provide poor light, contribute to poor health due to indoor air pollution, and are drain on a family's income.
Despite the benefits of solar, the biggest challenge is overcoming people's lack of trust in an unfamiliar technology. We do this through the schools by meeting head-teachers we educate them about the benefits of solar light. They in turn share this with students.
Each solar light costs about $10 (£6). SolarAid sells the light at a discount. We do this to encourage the market solocal traders begin to stock solar lights. This provides a channel to buy more lights or get lights repaired or replaced and is much more sustainable approach that just providing aid.
With a solar light a family no longer need to buy candles, which improves their income as well as their health and children studying for exam's can do so in safety at home.
It's also good for us all, as less candles and kerosene being used means less carbon emissions.