Change by Doing Explore the world of volunteering and service

There’s a video making the rounds that is boring to watch, and horrifying to watch as well. It is a simple white board balanced on two towers of soup cans, and beneath it burns a kerosene lamp—the kind that provides the only light for countless households in poor regions—and an iPhone counting off five minutes of time. During that time, the smoke from this simple kerosene flame leaves an obscene amount of blackened soot on the board in just that short period. Now, consider the lungs of a child, huddled by it in their small home or shelter, trying to do homework or read or cook or just gather with the family…and think of that child’s lungs.

Unite to Light is a non-profit dedicated to bringing affordable, renewable solar-powered lights into homes everywhere. The simple LED bulbs are brighter than lamp flames, and 4-8 hours of illumination comes from a charge during the day. Adults can do crafts and home tasks to raise more money for the family, children can learn, community members can gather, meals can be more easily prepared, so much can happen with more ease when lighting is available—especially lightning that doesn’t cause eye strain or health problems. Lessening kerosene burning also does a great deal of good for the environment, lowering the unbalanced carbon emissions kerosene creates. Unite to Light is a self-perpetuating business model, working with distribution partners in multiple nations, and turning profits back into production for more lights. Think about supporting them to bring a little light into more lives.