MwangaBora solar lamps, created by Evans Wadongo, provide low-cost lighting for villagers, saving their health and money, and helping reduce global emissions from kerosine use
In Kenya, where less than a quarter of the 45-million population has access to electricity, a solar lamp project is helping rural communities save money on expensive and harmful fuel while reducing carbon emissions. The Use Solar, Save Lives initiative was set up in 2004 by Evans Wadongo, 29, an engineer who experienced the dangerous effects of kerosene lamps growing up in a western Kenyan village. Studying close to an open flame, he was exposed to kerosene smoke, notorious for provoking breathing and vision defects, which left him with permanent eye problems.
Determined to make a difference, Wadongo designed an alternative – a simple, sun-powered lantern dubbed a MwangaBora, which means “good light” in Swahili. The lamp is cleaner and greener, and also cuts costs. “For a family that earns two dollars a day, kerosene takes about 30-40% of their daily income. If they’re able to save that, it really makes a big difference,” says Wadongo. The lamps are made from locally sourced scrap metal and fragments of solar panels that charge a battery-powered LED light, while a USB port can be built into the base, offering an easy way to charge phones and radios.