Unite to Light (UTL), a Santa Barbara, California non-profit organisation, in collaboration with Children in the Wilderness Malawi (CITW), has embarked on a project to source and distribute solar Luke Lights to needy students in rural areas of Malawi. UTL sources the lights and CITW distributes the lights to the students in remote areas of Malawi where they live without electricity.
Purpose
The aim of the project is to assist primary and secondary school students with solar lights, so that they are able to read their schools books and do their school assignments and exercises, even at night, both at their schools and in their homes. The students’ available time for school work should noticeably increase, and result in improved school performance.
Beneficiaries
Secondary Schools Location (District and TA) Number of lights
Namalomba Secondary School Balaka East, Kalembo 200
Primary Schools Location Number of lights
Nanthomba Primary School Balaka West, Kalembo 200
Kafulafula Primary School Balaka West, Kalembo 200
Mlambe Primary School Balaka West, Kalembo 200
Kavunguti Primary School Balaka West, Kalembo 200
The 2021 donation of 1 000 units of lights benefits 800 primary school students and 200 secondary school students.
CITW worked closely with the school administrations, ranging from the support received from the office of the Director of Basic Education, to the Parent-Teacher Committees at the local schools. This collaboration ensured that the lights were given to the neediest students, and that the teachers and parents help monitor the use of the lights by the students.
Many thanks go to UTL, the Ministry of Education (Director of Basic Education), Malawi Revenue Authority, Central African Wilderness Safaris and CITW-affiliated primary school teachers for making this project a reality.
Happily, UTL wishes to continue with the solar lights donation. This will make it possible to expand to more schools in other remote areas where most students have no access to electricity.
Report by Symon Chibaka, CITW Malawi Programme Co-ordinator
