Brightening Lives: SunBell's impact on Esther's family in Kenya
In 2020, Esther was one of the 2,000 SunBell recipients through Yara’s Action Africa Initiative. Since then, Esther is no longer using kerosene as a light source and does not have to walk long distances and pay to charge her mobile phone.
Farming life in Kenya
Esther is a small-scale farmer in Kenya who cultivates vegetables, particularly collard greens and avocados. She lives with her family of eight, which includes her husband, four children, and two grandchildren, on a small and lovely farm. Thanks to the support of Innovation Norway, we had the opportunity to visit Esther in October 2021 to see how SunBell has transformed her life.
Lighting up Esther's world
"Our family has been using the SunBell every day since we got it, especially the gooseneck," Esther happily shared. She replaced her kerosene lamp with the SunBell, and now she can charge her phone without walking long distances or paying for it. It also allows her to stay connected. When we visited her, her husband asked, "Esther, where did you meet your new friends?" She proudly replied, "On the Internet." The look on her face made our day.
Why BRIGHT joined the Africa Connect Initiative
By joining Yara's Africa Connect Initiative, BRIGHT aimed to bring on-grid opportunities to off-grid families and help farmers stay connected. BRIGHT's SunBell 80 can provide up to 180 hours of light per charge and offers the possibility of mobile charging. It is a clean and safe alternative to many families' standard kerosene lamps. The lantern also offers the opportunity to save money by replacing batteries, kerosene, diesel, and costly mobile charging time with solar-powered lighting and charging. It also leads to healthier environments as people no longer inhale toxic fumes.
Access to light and energy
Access to light provides protection and increases safety by reducing the risk of assault and violence, particularly against women and children. In addition, access to energy enables the opportunity to connect to a larger community via mobile phone. BRIGHT's vision is to provide sustainable light and energy everywhere. To achieve this, it is critical to overcome all geographical barriers and limitations in distribution to reach the markets where our products can work best and create the most value for our users