The expensive alternatives families have to use to escape the darkness can have devastating effects on their health.
Using a kerosene lamp or a crude oil candle at home is essentially burning oil. A kerosene lamp releases 370kg of thick, toxic smoke into a family’s home each year.
This causes eye strains, chest infections and leads to more serious impacts. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 4 million people per year die prematurely from illnesses attributable to household air pollution. This is more deaths every year than HIV, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
This is a preventable strain on the healthcare systems, which themselves are often reliant on kerosene, candles or diesel in order to operate.
With a solar light, there are no more health issues. Over half of the people we have spoken to have told us their health improved shortly after getting a solar light.
A solar light improves health.