Solar lamp repair & e-waste management in Cox’s Bazar Kutupalong refugee camp
By Lorena Muñoz Carmona
In the heart of the world's largest refugee camp, access to reliable solar energy is more than a convenience — it is a lifeline. Cox's Bazar's Kutupalong settlement, home to nearly one million Rohingya refugees, faces ongoing challenges from a long-running humanitarian crisis and increasingly frequent climate-related disasters. Recognising this, BRIGHT has made it a priority to improve access to sustainable solar lighting and energy in the camp by talking with end-users, understanding the e-waste challenge in the settlement, and by providing hands-on training on solar lamp repair.
Understanding repair initiatives in Cox’s Bazar
Understanding repair initiatives in Cox’s Bazar
To better support the local repair ecosystem, BRIGHT conducted an in-depth exploration of existing initiatives within the refugee settlement. Our team visited workshops where IOM Bangladesh, UNICEF/BRAC, and UNHCR implement solar lamp repair training. These centres serve diverse age groups and include members from both the Rohingya and host communities.
Through our engagements, we gained valuable insights into the challenges facing solar lamp repair efforts, like limited availability of spare parts in the local market. This understanding has helped shape how BRIGHT can most effectively support and scale local solar repair initiatives through our repair program.
Empowering communities through solar repair training
Empowering communities through solar repair training
BRIGHT’s visit provided a unique opportunity to deliver hands-on training to over 60 community members, including Rohingya and host community participants, as well as volunteers from the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.
The training sessions were tailored to meet varying levels of expertise. For younger groups, training focused on fundamental repair techniques for BRIGHT solar lamps. For more experienced technicians, we delved deeper into the intricate mechanics of solar lamp repair and gathered invaluable feedback to improve our repair platform.
Tackling the e-waste challenges in refugee settings
Tackling the e-waste challenges in refugee settings
E-waste management remains a major hurdle in displacement contexts, with only 1% of e-waste reaching formal recycling channels.
During our mission, we visited an e-waste collection centre set up by the UNHCR, where some BRIGHT solar lamps had been disposed as e-waste. Interestingly, many of these solar lamps were not at the end of their functional life and could still be repaired. We worked closely with volunteers to identify repairable units and conducted training sessions to extend the life of these products. Some of these "disposed" lamps were repaired during the workshops, providing real-world experience for the trainees.
Listening to end-users for product improvement
Listening to end-users for product improvement
Engaging directly with end-users remains a cornerstone of our field visits. We conducted multiple interviews to understand how the solar lamps fit into daily routines and gathered feedback on key repair needs and product improvements.
These interactions underscored the critical importance of both solar energy access and sustainable repair solutions in displaced settings. Despite existing challenges, we see tremendous potential for expanding solar e-waste and repair initiatives across Cox's Bazar.
Lighting the way forward
Lighting the way forward
BRIGHT is committed to building on these lessons to further strengthen our repair program and contribute to a more sustainable, empowered future for refugees. Through ongoing collaboration with partners and communities, we aim to create a model for scalable, impactful solar repair and e-waste management in humanitarian settings.
Partnerships are at the core of our work, and we value collaboration. Interested in exploring how our products and work can sustainably enhance your humanitarian response and impact lives? Partner with us.
