Solar lamps to light up rural homes

MANILA, Philippines - Non-profit group One Million Lights (OML) Philippines and battery maker Energizer have joined hands to provide 2,750 units of solar-powered lights to poor families that do not have access to electricity.

Joan Mendoza, brand manager of Energizer Philippines Inc., said they want to introduce a safer and cheaper source of light to communities in remote areas.

“Our advocacy is to help light the way for everyone to lead better lives, particularly the poor and the disadvantaged,” she said.

Mark Lozano, founder and country head of OML Philippines, said the partnership would help the people perform their chores while providing them access to safe and affordable light source.

“Solar-powered lights are clean, safe, environmentally sustainable, and affordable for our beneficiaries, and attest to how much importance we place in alleviating this basic problem of lack of electricity affecting our fellow Filipinos,” he said.

The solar-powered LED lanterns and bulbs will be given to families in Rizal, Oriental Mindoro, Eastern Samar, Catanduanes, Ifugao, Mountain Province, Kalinga, and Apayao.

Energizer and OML worked with Caritas, the charity arm of the Catholic Church, in selecting the beneficiaries.

A recipient holds solar-powered lights.

Fritzie Lee, product manager of Energizer, said the first batch of lights will be distributed in Rizal tomorrow.

The recipients will be charged P30 to P300 per solar-powered light, depending on the family’s income.

Energizer claimed that the LED lanterns and bulbs are cheaper and safer compared to kerosene and other lighting systems used by poor families.

Lozano said families in remote areas rely mostly on kerosene lamps and other hazardous sources of lighting like firewood, makeshift gas lamps, and candles.

He said the health of family members are put at risk due to the fumes emitted by kerosene.

The use of these lighting sources has also resulted in fires as the homes of rural families are usually made of flammable materials like nipa and straw.

Energizer said these lighting sources also hurt the pockets of poor families, who spend as much as P4,000 per year to buy them.

Lee said their solar-powered lights cost only P1,500 and can last up to 10 years.

The solar-powered lights are totally clean, safe, and affordable. They are charged in the daytime and last up to 12 hours at night.