Cal Poly engineering — LunaLight project

Sponsor a Cal Poly student to work, learn, and make a difference.

Your donation to this project provides materials & funds for an engineering student to build one rechargeable, solar-powered LunaLight in the Cal Poly laboratories. The students learn to build and engineer a real product, and also learn the meaning of giving back. Each light produced in the 2012 LunaLight project is donated to a village in rural Kenya, where they help families to make more income, children to study at night, and brighten the futures of people in need.

Sponsor a Cal Poly engineer and support a family in Kenya

Suggested Donation = $100, cost of one LunaLight project.
All donations 100% tax deductible through One Million Lights 501(c)3
Read about the Cal Poly project


They LunaLight is a solar-rechargeable LED lantern designed for villagers in developing countries. This complete product was created in 2011-2012 through Cal Poly’s multi-disciplinary program — five entrepreneurial  engineers, in conjunction with finance and graphic communication students –  to be a practical, economical, and socially responsible technology for those less fortunate than ourselves.

Sleek. Compact. Bright. The LunaLight contains rechargeable batteries that are charged using the solar panel provided. Stored energy in the batteries power the bright white LEDs, or charge a cell phone through a built-in USB port. By running a strap through the handle, the LunaLight becomes a portable, hands-free light that provides brighter & longer-lasting light than products currently on market.

Support hand-on education and help these students build social entrepreneurship by making a donation today.

The LunaLight design team.

 Village life in Kenya

In the village of Enoosaen, in rural southwest Kenya, families live in small mud huts with no windows.  The typical family lives off an income of $1.30 per day, and as much as half of this income is spent on kerosene for lighting.  Children, who work long hours in the fields each day, need light in order to learn and study at night.A solar light helps a Enoosaen family save money on kerosene, and afford more food, clothing, & medicine.  The light helps adults to extent their workday and increase their income, and children to receive an education.  A donation of a LunaLight gives these families a chance at a brighter future.


The lights produced in this partnership with Cal Poly  will be donated to the Enoosaen families, and Maasai communities outside of Kilgoris, in southwest Kenya. The first donation will take place in March 2012, and will continue throughout 2012.

One Million Lights — For this project, Cal Poly Engineering is partnered with One Million Lights, a 501(c)3 charity based in Palo Alto, CA. Our mission is to improve the daily lives of children and adults by providing clean and healthy lighting. We distribute environmentally friendly, rechargeable solar lights around the world, replacing dangerous and polluting kerosene lamps.

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