One Hundred Lights for El Volcan
Peace Corps Volunteer, Karl Mollohan, uses technology to gather support for his community in El Salvador
An open-air kitchen in the home of a future light recipient in El Volcan, El Salvador.
Through his Facebook group called One Hundred Lights for El Volcan, Karl Mollohan has been using technology to gather support for his community in El Volcan.
El Volcan is located 11 km up the mountain from the pueblo of Guatajiagua in Southern Morazan, El Salvador. The community consists of 160 homes and over 550 people. On the edge of Morazan, El Volcan rests 1100 meters above sea level and provides supreme growing conditions for a number of fruits and vegetables, including avocados, mangoes, pineapples, and an amazing ten-plus varieties of guineos (which we would call bananas), and coffee.
El Volcan endures many hardships. It was a heavily conflicted area during the war in El Salvador. Isolated high above the pueblo, access is limited to a crude road which takes about an hour plus to drive and two to three hours to walk.
The community is a part of the fourth poorest municipality in the country, in which most families live on less than a dollar a day. The community has limited sources of income and the families primarily eat what they grow. Most of the homes lack a direct source of water. However, there are a number of springs on the mountain. It will be the last canton in the municipality to receive electricity. About 70 homes have received electricity, but due to the remoteness of the others they did not and will not for a long time to come.
Village in El Salvador
Need: $3,500 / Solar Lights: 125
Sumala and Iris pose for the camera in their simple home with no access to electricity.
Learn More About It
- Village of El Volcan, 11 km up the mountain from the pueblo of Guatajiagua in Southern Morazan, El Salvador
- Need 125 lights for families, one light per household
- Partnered with Peace Corps Volunteer, Karl Mollohan, for fundraising, distribution, and follow up.
- Karl is fundraising for a portion of the lights, and we need your help to match the rest. Join us by donating for this project!
- These lights can change lives. Providing clean lighting that does not damage the eyes or the respiratory system will allow children to study under healthy conditions, as well as provide the families with a MUCH more cost effective source of lighting.
