Post #6: It's Lit

This week was a little bit different than my other weeks in Uganda, because we had some visitors at the volunteer house!! On Saturday, Sarah Baird and Ben Kerman, founders of Let There Be Light International, arrived at the volunteer house. Their organization is combatting energy poverty and has made some huge differences in this community and others nearby since it started in 2013.

Many people in Uganda light their homes using Kerosene lanterns. Kerosene is both harmful to the environment and its users’ health. Not only is it the cause of countless horrible burns, but it also puts people at high risk of a variety of respiratory illnesses and eye problems.  Refilling these lanterns can become quite expensive. As a result, some households use light very sparingly making it very hard to do anything after dark (7pm these days).  

Over the past several weeks, I’ve joined George Mike for a few “Solar Light Outreaches” at the health clinic in Bulenga. We’ve gone to the clinic during its highest populated time-when vaccinations are being offered to infants.  Mothers fill up the clinic and form a line out the door sometimes. While they wait for the vaccinations, George Mike and I teach the group about renewable energy and the advantages of using solar lights instead of Kerosene lanterns. We bring a Pico Solar Light to demonstrate how to recharge the light. They’re extremely easy to use, safe, healthy, and very bright. While they require money up front, there is no maintenance/refilling cost. These lights last 3-5 years and can end up saving households a significant amount of money. Many of these mothers have never heard of solar energy before so our goal is for them to learn what it is and why purchasing a solar light may be worth considering.

Some of these women end up purchasing these lights, which is fantastic and supports the local market for solar lights.  For some people in Bulenga and in other villages in Uganda though, the cost of a solar light is completely out of the question. Let There Be Light International provides solar lights to vulnerable people can’t afford solar lights. The organization also promotes solar lights and helps those with the ability to purchase them understand their advantages.

Sarah and Ben Baird are from New Haven and have been connected with KACCAD (the organization over here I’m volunteering with) since they volunteered with A Broader View a number of years ago. It was SO fun to get to know them and spend time with them this week! It was a wonderful taste of home to be with Americans (Sarah is from Buffalo so we instantly bonded over love of Wegmans). They had some great stories from their multiple trips here and also shared some helpful insight. They are two of the friendliest and most selfless people I’ve ever met. While their organization has done some incredible things over the past few years, they’re super humble about everything and looking for ways to help more.

On Tuesday, I got to join Sarah and Ben as well as the other KACCAD workers for a Solar Light Distribution in the Gomba (a few hours away from Bulenga). After a bumpy but beautiful drive, we arrived in Gomba and were greeted by a large group of people, excited for the events of the day. Local leaders had spent the weeks prior selecting the most vulnerable households in the community to be recipients of the solar lights.   The recipients fit into one or more of the following categories: elderly, disabled, HIV/AIDS, new/expecting mother.  All morning, I worked with a translator to interview recipients about their living conditions, lighting needs, and previous lighting methods. After gathering information, everyone went outside for a ceremony/series of speeches. Many local leaders spoke in addition to Sarah (founder of LTBLI), Derrek, and George Mike. After a couple of hours of trying to understand Luganda (the language of most of the speeches) and hanging out with some local school children, it was time for the distribution! I got to take pictures and see the firsthand reactions of the recipients!

People were so thrilled about receiving these lights! Hugs, laughter, and smiles were abundant once the distribution began. After hearing stories all morning ,it was clear to me just how much of a difference solar lights could make for these people. Almost all of them suffered from health problems as a result of Kerosene lantern. A few people there had suffered horrible burns. Many of them had a difficult time completing daily tasks because of the limited light Kerosene provides. Additionally, school-attending children living in these households had very little ability to study/read/do homework after dark.

After the distribution and in the days following, I got to join Sarah and Ben for visits to the homes of past solar light recipients. It was incredible to hear about the impact 1 light can have.  Sadly, I don’t remember most of the recipients names (I think my “learning name” spot in my brain was maxed out this week after learning new names at school!) but I do remember a few stories. I spoke to an old woman for a while who lives in a room with her husband and 2 grandchildren whom she takes care of. While her “house” is a small room, it’s a much more functional place now thanks to the solar light. The kids can study at night now and she uses the money they would have spent on Kerosene to purchase medicine.

We visited the home of an 8 year old boy with Hydrocephalus. When we arrived, we were greeted by a 6 year old girl who keeps the house and takes care of her brother and younger siblings during the day while her parents work. Though he smiled when we came in, I know life is very hard for the 8 year old boy we met. Treatment and therapy are extremely expensive, so he spends all day in bed. Their house was very dark during the day so the solar light made a significant difference in the brightness. While this home has a lot of needs, I’m glad the little girl at least had a safe and healthy way to use light during the day.

The toughest part of this week was visiting the home of a mother with triplets on our way back from Gomba. Twins are extremely uncommon here so you can imagine what a surprise this young mother received when she gave birth to three babies last week. The father took off immediately (not uncommon, a woman who gives birth to triplets is thought to have something wrong with her) leaving this now mother of six completely abandoned in the delivery room. When we arrived at her home, our crew could barely fit in the little room she and her 6 children live in. There was blanket in the corner, some basins for washing clothes, and a wooden stand with a small Karosene lamp. The mother, who looked about my age, was feeding her tiny babies and apologizing for how wet her home was becoming (it was raining outside and there were a couple of leaks in the room/walls). We asked her some questions and spoke with her for a few minutes. She has no source of income and no family to speak of. I stood there stunned and heartbroken. Looking back, I wish I had said something encouraging or hopeful. But I was so speechless in the moment. Sarah gave the woman a solar light which will provide some financial relief and safe lighting to this family. But it was so difficult to walk away a few minutes later knowing this woman needed so much more. I have been thinking of this mother a lot since we visited and have been praying that her community knows her desperate need and that they will wrap their arms around her family to keep them afloat. I’m still trying to brainstorm ways I can help her and her family out.

Going around with Sarah and Ben filled this week with heartbreak and hope. I won’t forget the homes I stood in that were so far from anything I could ever imagine living in. Many of the people I met this week survive extreme hardships everyday. While a solar light may not change that, it can certainly help these survivors live days that are longer, easier, safer, and brigher.

Thank you all for reading and the continual encouragement! I also did a lot of teaching this week and have some great stories about some of my new students to share! More to come in the next post J

For more information on Let There Be Light, check out there website here http://www.lettherebelightinternational.org! Next time you find yourself with some extra pocket money or a desire to help others in a big way, please consider donating to this INCREDIBLE organization!

In addition to providing lights to over 2,000 homes, Let There Be Light has also installed solar lighting systems to 9 health clinics in Uganda. These health clinics are in remote areas where they are the only source of medical care for thousands of people in surrounding villages. Having solar lights means that people can easily locate the clinics at night, the clinic can extend its hours, and emergency procedures can be performed after dark.

Sorry if these pictures are a little out of alignment....

Light recipients from the Solar Distribution in Gomba! Everyone was dressed up for the occasion!

Preparing for the Light Distribution at the KACCAD offices. Lots of work goes into the interviewing process to make sure the best and most helpful information is gathered.

Sarah, founder of Let There Be Light, speaking before the distribution!

New Mothers run to hug eachother immediately after receiving their lights!

They're pretty excited about this!

This little guy could not wait to use their new solar light!

These kids will now be able to do homework and study after dark!

A KACCAD volunteer explaining how to use the solar light to a group of women.

This man was the first person I interviewed! He was one of the first in line when we got there at 8am and he lives quite a journey away (we saw him walking home). I can't imagine what time he had to wake up to get there on time! He was so eager to receive his light. After interviewing him, he kept coming back to the table asking when the lights would be given out. He stuck around for a while afterwards and had the happiest look on his face with his new light in hand.

I didn't even ask her to pose for this!