Hear from Adithi Arvind, LTBLI’s Shine On Student Ambassador, as she shares her experience with energy poverty, how it led her to advocate for solar, and why she’s raising awareness for Lights 4 Learning. Shine on, Adithi!
Hi, I’m Adithi!
I am a junior at Newbury Park High School. This year, I was able to have the amazing opportunity to learn from Let There Be Light International (LTBLI) about their organization and help them out for their Earth Day Fundraiser through advocacy and awareness in my community! Their hard work means a lot to me, as I know what it is like to experience energy poverty.
When the Lights went out in Chennai
In December 2015, I found myself caught in the devastating floods of Chennai. My family and I spent weeks without electricity, and we had to rely on basic facilities and community kitchens to get by. That experience was an eye-opener for me as it made me realize how much we take “basic” things like electricity for granted. Near me, I had seen how the reliance on kerosene lamps for lighting in this dire situation was just not sustainable or safe. The air pollution and fire hazards associated with kerosene lamps had already damaged so much of the vulnerable population during the natural disaster.
Becoming an Ambassador for Solar
I began working with LTBLI as an Earth Day Ambassador this past spring, and through my involvement, I have enjoyed collaborating with fellow ambassadors and my mentor, Hannah, and learning more about the organization. Seeing all that went into making LTBLI’s annual Solar Celebration an amazing event just showed me how much passion and dedication it takes to take something from scratch into a meaningful impact.
Check out this video of Adithi raising awareness about energy poverty for Earth Day in her community!
Why I’m Shining a Light on Lights 4 Learning
That same commitment to creating real change is what makes LTBLI’s Lights 4 Learning (L4L) program so powerful. Every year, it transforms generosity from donors into something tangible; that is, solar lights and books for students in off-grid communities. LTBLI’s most recent L4L project brightened the lives of 190 students and 10 teachers at St. Joseph’s Sentema Catholic Primary School in Uganda. Many of these students had been studying by candlelight where 55.5% relied solely on candles and 25% used kerosene. Before the project, 76.3% of children did not own a single book. For most of these kids, the biggest obstacle to reading was not the lack of time or interest, but the lack of reliable light. 53.2% of students say a lack of reliable strong light is the biggest obstacle to reading whereas, 37.4% say it is a lack of access to reading books. After donating 200 reading books and 200 solar lamps, 99.5% of students intend to read more books now that they have reliable light! All the teachers indicated that the donated books and solar lights would change the studying habits of students.
As I think back to my own week without electricity in Chennai, I can not help but feel connected to the students in Uganda. That is why I believe so deeply in Lights 4 Learning. Because year after year, students are able to read and learn freely without the barrier of the lack of access to reliable light hanging.
– Adithi Arvind, LTBLI Shine On Student Ambassador
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