Imagine that you live in rural Africa in a hut with no electricity. The only way to light your dwelling at night for your children to study is to burn kerosene. The kerosene lantern fills your home with toxic smoke that poisons the air your children breathe and pollutes the environment. It is highly flammable and accidents are common. It is so expensive that it consumes one-third of your income, yet you have no alternative… except living in darkness.

Many in wealthy countries are unaware that this is the daily reality for millions in impoverished countries. One Million Lights is an organization that believes that a simple solution to the problem of clean rural lighting is within our grasp.

The Need

The need for clean, safe lighting in impoverished areas is urgent. The rural poor are the largest users of kerosene, often walking great distances to purchase it. Although solar lighting seems like an obvious solution, people lacking electricity have been unable to transition from kerosene due to high up-front costs. Those living on less than a dollar a day simply cannot afford a light for $20-$50. Our lights help families shift wasteful kerosene cost to productive investments in education, nutrition, and healthcare.

• Over 1.6 billion people worldwide lack access to electricity and depend on kerosene.
• Families may spend up to half of their income on kerosene, even though it provides inadequate illumination
• Used 4 hours a day, a kerosene lamp emits over 100 kg of carbon each year. Consequently, the worldwide combustion of fuel for lighting results in 190 million tonnes per year of carbon emissions.
• Kerosene is responsible for 1.5 million deaths from burns and respiratory illnesses annually-62% of which are children.

The Root Cause

Lack of adequate lighting for families in impoverished areas contributes to underemployment, lack of education, disease, and pollution. One Million Lights targets the 1.6 billion people at the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) with income levels below $3,000 a year in local purchasing power that live off the grid, without access to electricity, and are entirely dependent on expensive and polluting fossil fuels for their lighting and energy needs. These people are compromised in every dimension of life – economic, social, and environmental.

Globally, there are vast, remote, and impoverished regions that lack the infrastructure, funding and evengovernmental plans to support an electrical grid, which would allow access to light. And although solar lights have existed for many years, these local indigenous communities lack awareness of them and have no ability to purchase a light.  We identify such high-need areas and create local programs to provide solar alternatives to these communities. We deliver a single, life-changing tool that helps address one of the root causes of poverty – lack of adequate light and lack of education.

In contrast, our youth here live in abundance and have little appreciation or engagement with global issues. They are surrounded by a world of material and electronic distractions.  Our goal is to actively increase awareness of global issues and introduce curriculum in local schools.  By engaging the students in hands-on activities and by sharing first-hand accounts of inspirational stories, we hope to inspire responsible future leaders.

Unique Approach

One Million Lights is unique in a few key ways. Firstly, our solution is based on appropriate technology. We feel that making a difference within an impoverished community does not require the community to alter their long established way of life. We strive to work within the cultural norms of our distribution communities, while providing a tool, solar lighting, that will create a ripple effect of positive change. Our goal is that individual light recipients will ultimately be able to lift themselves out of the debilitating cycle of poverty.

Secondly, our program structure identifies high-need areas and works within the community. Globally, there are vast,

remote, and impoverished regions that lack the infrastructure, funding and even governmental plans to support an electrical grid, which would allow access to clean, safe light. And although solar lights have existed for many years, these local indigenous communities lack awareness and have no ability to purchase a light. We identify such high-need areas and create local programs to provide solar alternatives to these communities. We deliver a single, life-changing technology that helps address some of the root causes of poverty – lack of adequate light and lack of education.

Additionally, we are unique in our commitment to local as well as international youth. In contrast to our light recipients, our youth here in the US live in abundance and have little appreciation or engagement with global issues. They are surrounded by a world of material and electronic distractions. Our goal is to actively increase awareness of appropriate technology and global issues through programs and curriculum in local schools. By engaging the students in hands-on activities and by sharing first-hand accounts of inspirational stories, we hope to raise future leaders that will make informed global decisions.

Further, we leverage technology to inspire, market, and manage our distributions. In addition to the solar light itself, all our nonprofit functions are performed online, including sharing videos, receiving donations, and communicating program details. Through the use of technology we are able to scale to a global level and keep our operating costs low.

Our idea is straightforward and it provides a wealth of benefits, both globally and locally, including healthier and more educated individuals, cleaner environments, safer homes, and more sustainably prosperous communities.

Help us by donating today!