I believe that all children are entitled to health and education. I have had the experience of trying to study when constantly sick, and it was incredibly hard to learn or retain any information. I realized how much harder it must be for students who are living in chronically unhealthy conditions. They deserve a chance at a healthier, happier life. I also believe that we can all play a part in protecting the global environment. Solar lanterns can address children's health and education needs, and also protect against global warming by replacing the kerosene lamps that are the light source for many families in Africa. Kerosene lamps are dim, making them hard to study by. A single kerosene lamp releases a ton of carbon dioxide per year; kerosene lamps are responsible annually for over 100 million tons of CO2 emissions. When it is inhaled by children and families in their homes, kerosene smoke leads to diseases like pneumonia, bronchitis, and even lung cancer. Indoor air pollution claims the l... moreI believe that all children are entitled to health and education. I have had the experience of trying to study when constantly sick, and it was incredibly hard to learn or retain any information. I realized how much harder it must be for students who are living in chronically unhealthy conditions. They deserve a chance at a healthier, happier life. I also believe that we can all play a part in protecting the global environment. Solar lanterns can address children's health and education needs, and also protect against global warming by replacing the kerosene lamps that are the light source for many families in Africa. Kerosene lamps are dim, making them hard to study by. A single kerosene lamp releases a ton of carbon dioxide per year; kerosene lamps are responsible annually for over 100 million tons of CO2 emissions. When it is inhaled by children and families in their homes, kerosene smoke leads to diseases like pneumonia, bronchitis, and even lung cancer. Indoor air pollution claims the lives of 1.5 million people each year, over half of which are under the age of five (Millennium Development Goals Report 2007). Kerosene lamps also can cause house fires and severe burns. Kerosene is expensive so the poorest families must often choose between light and food or other necessities. I feel absolutely compelled to do whatever I can to make clean, safe solar light available to help these students.

Lit! is unique; to our knowledge, nobody has ever tried our method of creating a self-perpetuating fund to supply students with solar lanterns through schools. The fund will be created through part of the kerosene savings and will provide more lanterns for incoming students in future years. This is a youth-developed solution, and if we are successful this model can be scaled to serve kids through literally thousands of other schools. Our organization is designed to be extremely efficient, as we can acquire lanterns from local distributors and work with other organizations that connect with the schools. Solar lanterns are a simple solution to so many problems, so whether someone cares about kids and families, education, health, or the environment, they can feel wonderful about the contribution they make by this cause.