3Es Experience identified the obstacles caused by the lack of electricity in rural schools and homesteads such as limited studying time past sunset and for the few privileged families use kerosene lamps whose lighting is dull, flickers and emits fumes. Therefore, it has issued 300 solar light lanterns to pupils from Grade 5 to Grade 8 in schools in Kajiado County from the year 2021. These lanterns are easy to maintain and charge, which has ensured their durability over the years. The solar lights are taken outside to charge in the sun during the day and by the end of the day, they can be used for as long as 6 hours.
From our follow up sessions and interactions with their teachers, there has been an improvement in the academic performance of pupils because they are able to study after dark, finish their assignments on time and even do the extra work of writing book reports and reading storybooks.
In our latest school visit, we have issued solar lights to the new grade 5 pupils and we were able to note that all the pupils from the 3 schools still have their solar lanterns one year down the line. Lighting is a basic need when it comes to providing the required quality education and we hope to be of a greater impact to more pupils and schools in the coming future.
The local community has embraced the use of solar light lanterns in their homes too, which has played a pivotal role in ensuring good health and even better eye care for both the pupils and families. Our primary focus was ensuring pupils perform in school through the use of solar light lanterns, but now, our beneficiaries have grown and we appreciate the effort the community has put in embracing newer and better ways of lighting.