“You Have Saved Us From Darkness”

The powerful statement above was spoken by the mother of sponsored student Jovia Nakiyimba (pictured top right below) upon receiving solar lanterns from Children of Uganda. So many families shared this or similar sentiments – the relief is apparent on their faces!

Lighting – or lack thereof – has always been a challenge in the homes of our sponsored children; however, during the lockdown it became a major concern. 

Why the urgency?

Well, boarding schools in Uganda traditionally require both primary and secondary students to engage in personal reading time, 6 days a week from 7:30pm – 10pm (hours vary, but it’s usually at dark). Even at home, most of our students choose to read or study at night because it’s what they are accustomed to.  And for those who help out during the day with chores, gardening, their family’s business and/or caring for younger siblings– night time is their only option.

No one knows when schools will fully reopen, so we have been encouraging our students to make time for their studies and to keep up with their notes.  But many children shared what a big challenge this has been for them.

While some students have access to electricity, there are those (especially in rural areas) that do not have this luxury. Even students who do have electricity face a challenge. Many live in tiny, single-room houses where switching on the lights to read at night would keep other family members awake.

Therefore, when the sun goes down, the majority of our students and supported families use small tin paraffin (kerosene) lamps.  Not only is this type of lighting largely ineffective with how dim it is, but paraffin lamps also pose a significant health and safety risk.

Thanks to Children of Uganda’s supporters we were able to respond to the plight of these families by supporting them with solar lamps to improve their lighting, as well as aid our student’s home studies. With solar lamps, the children are able to sneak in reading hours when everyone else sleeps without fully lighting the entire room.

Many guardians said that they have been saved from paraffin, which is costly, provides only dim lighting and emits toxic smoke into their homes. For those who had no electricity at all, they are so excited to now have supper and chit chats without being totally engulfed in darkness.

For others this is also a chance to fight malaria. You are probably wondering how solar lamps are connected to malaria!

“Aunt, are you sure this is my torch? We have never used mosquito nets before because we use kerosene wicks with an open flame for light and grandmother feared the fire would catch the mosquito nets and burn us and the house down. Now I can tell her to put up my mosquito net,” narrates an excited Daniella Nabwami.

Daniella was shocked, excited and needed confirmation from Resty (Children of Uganda’s Project Assistant who many of the children affectionally call “Aunt”) that the solar lanterns were really hers and that no one would take them away.

Yes, Daniella. They are yours for keeps. May this new light keep you safe and reveal even greater possibilities for you!