Bright Futures: How a 16-year-old is donating solar lamps to help learners study after dark

“I’ve always loved learning, both inside and outside of school,” says Joona Cichy, a Year 11 International Baccalaureate student in Cologne. “When I discovered that some children didn’t have this opportunity because they lack the light to study, I wanted to do something about it.”

Joona is 16 years-old, fences at national level, and has already founded a student-student tutoring initiative. Earlier this year, he launched Bright Futures, a small project with a clear mission: to help as many children as possible learn after dark by providing them with solar lamps. “I have set myself a target of donating 1,000 solar lamps within the next two years,” he says.

Bright Futures is, at its core, one student doing what he can. Funding comes from community service he undertakes himself, donations from his local community, and the fundraisers he plans to run throughout the year. “I do have the support of my friends and fellow students for events to raise donations,” he adds. Several teachers are also helping with distribution abroad.

From Cologne to Ghana and Madagascar

This autumn, Joona purchased his first 36 solar lamps. He calls them a “starting quantity”. His approach is cautious by design. “I want to be sure each lamp reaches a child truly in need of it,” he says.

Rather than setting up an unfamiliar distribution chain, he is relying on a network he already trusts: his teachers. His history teacher, originally from Ghana, connected him with colleagues who manage community initiatives there, and they will handle the local distribution of the lamps. A trip planned for October was postponed, but the lamps will now arrive around Christmas, a small but meaningful gift of light at the end of the year.

A second route has opened too. Another teacher will carry lamps to Madagascar later this month. Joona intends to expand gradually. I’m planning to send more lamps once I know more about their situation and needs,” he says. His aim is to build enough contacts to send lamps where they are needed most.

His model mirrors many frontline solar distribution efforts: small, embedded networks run by people with local knowledge rather than large bureaucratic structures.

How solar lamps close the study gap

As of 2023, around 750 million people worldwide still lacked access to electricity, with about 600 million people or approximately 80% in sub-Saharan Africa. According to The Energy Progress Report 2024 about 660 million people will likely remain without electricity by 2030, with 85% of them in sub-Saharan Africa.

In many rural or low-income communities, homework is done outdoors before sunset. Once darkness falls, students often rely on dim torches or unsafe light sources like kerosene lamps and candles which expose them to health and fire hazards.

Solar lamps are one of the simplest interventions to close the gap. Research across sub-Saharan Africa shows that clean solar light can add one to two hours of learning time each evening, often the difference between passing and falling behind. BRIGHT Products alone has delivered more than 4.3 million solar lamps to over 60 countries, with many used in schools and displacement settlements.

For Joona, the SunTurtle solar lamp stood out for its simplicity and practicality. “It allows students of all ages to use the lamp due to its simple design, and it has many options of how to position it,” he explains. “I was looking for a lamp that is sturdy and durable. I was very happy when I found BRIGHT Products as a company who cared about my mission.”

Designed as a basic, education-friendly lamp with up to 100 hours of runtime and a compact, stable form, the SunTurtle is ideal for use in in early-learning and homework support initiatives. For the children Joona hopes to reach, its predictable light may offer something as practical as an extra hour of reading time, and as intangible as a greater sense of possibility.

A quiet reminder of what light represents

Joona has grasped early what many large initiatives learn over time: small interventions compound. Light enables study. Study opens opportunities. And opportunity, once shared, can be transformative.

As the year draws to a close, the symbolism is hard to ignore. Light is a familiar motif at Christmas: warmth, safety, hope. Yet its absence is still an everyday reality for millions of students worldwide.

His project is small, practical, and rooted in empathy. It is a reminder that closing that gap does not always begin with large institutions. Sometimes it begins with a teenager in Cologne, a box of solar lamps, and the belief that learning should not end when the sun sets.

Joona’s advice for others his age is simple. “Think outside the box, such as outside of school projects and finding something you are passionate about. Don’t be scared to step out of your comfort zone; it teaches you a lot about what you can already do even if you are young. And most of all, it is very rewarding to be able to help others, no matter whether it is in your community or far away.”

The solar lamps Joona is sending will bring more than light. They will bring time: time to read, and time to learn. Time to imagine a future that shines a little brighter.