General Programming
Through our core programming, Let There Be Light International partners with local organizations to distribute solar lights to vulnerable populations in off-grid communities. Community-embedded and equity-driven, our general programming has increased basic energy access across Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi, and Kenya.
Learn how our programming is supporting brighter futures in off-grid communities.
Program Participants
Mothers
With clean, reliable light, mothers can safely care for their newborns at night, protect their families from the harmful effects of kerosene smoke, and reduce the risk of burns, respiratory illness, and accidents in the dark. Solar lights also support greater financial resiliency, allowing mothers to work in the evening to increase their income. Savings from eliminated fuel costs can be redirected toward essentials like food, medicine, or school fees—helping mothers feel more secure and more in control of their families’ futures.
Persons with Disabilities
Solar lights improve health, safety, and daily care for persons with disabilities in off-grid communities. Clean, reliable lighting reduces the risk of injury and respiratory illness while easing the burden on caregivers, who are better able to provide consistent support, especially at night. For many households, solar lighting also reduces medical and care-related expenses, creating greater financial stability. With solar light, individuals with disabilities and their families report feeling safer, healthier, and better supported.
Elders
Safe lighting improves health and wellbeing for vulnerable elders. Solar lights have been shown to reduce social isolation and ease anxiety at night, improving a sense of connection and quality of life for off-grid elders. Savings on fuel expenses can be redirected toward other necessities to improve health, safety, and wellbeing.
Students
Let There Be Light International donates solar lights to off-grid school children to improve their health, safety and educational outcomes. The solar lights improve indoor air quality and decrease rates of respiratory illness commonly associated with polluting kerosene lights and allow children to study after sundown. Students report a lack of reliable lighting to be one of the main obstacles to reading. With solar lights shining, not only are students enabled to read, but they report being able to learn and connect with their siblings and families in new ways.