Solar-Powered LED Lights Help Students In Poverty

On the fringes of Islamabad, Pakistan, live thousands of migratory families that struggle to survive each and every day. These families fight so hard to make a living that many of their children are denied a basic education, which continues the cycle of poverty for generations. The non-profit organization JAQ Education Trust exists to stop this sad cycle and provide these kids with opportunities to improve their own lives and hopefully break the cycle once and for all. Their informal schools, known as Pelhi Kiran or “The First Ray of Light,” bring school to them in a way that fits into their unusual lifestyle. The schools are open when the children can attend around their work and family duties, and they even relocate when the community does.

Solar-powered LED lights like the lantern in this picture are helping poor Pakistani children stay in school. The lights are awarded through an initiative known as “first ray of light,” started in 2003. It has helped 1,450 poor families so far.

The JAQ Trust’s main objective is to provide children with the social and educational abilities they need to be accepted into official government-run schools, which is not automatic in Pakistan as it is here in North America. While the students enjoy attending school, JAQ and their partners are always looking for incentives to keep the children interested in continuing their education to a useful level. One of these partners, LEDtronics, is providing solar-powered LED lanterns for this purpose.

Power, or the lack thereof, is a real problem in Pakistan. The country has struggled for decades to provide enough to meet consumer demands consistently. In fact, the power grid is so unreliable that there have been public protests, unauthorized connections, and refusal by consumers to pay for the intermittent service. Many people, especially those in rural and migrant communities, are left without power in their homes. This is where something like a solar- powered phone charger or LED lantern becomes cool enough to be an incentive to get good grades.

“The Pehli Kiran initiative gives poverty-stricken families freedom from darkness, illiteracy, poverty, hunger and disease,” says Pervaiz Lodhie, LED lighting pioneer and CEO of LEDtronics. “On September 3, we extended this program to schools in deprived areas of Pakistan to encourage students to continue their studies and show appreciation for their hard work.”

The LED lighting company’s part of the initiative is to distribute and maintain the solar panels and LED lighting through their Pakistani division in Karachi. After the solar panels are installed, the next step is to distribute the solar LED lanterns to the community. This is where the Pelhi Kiran takes over. They award students who score the highest on their required exams in three secondary schools with prizes of their choice: a solar cell phone charger or solar powered LED lantern.

By awarding students who work hard at their studies, the Pehli Kiran hopes to encourage them to stay in school and continue their education, which will in turn improve the lives of themselves and their families now and in future generations.

So far, the Pehli Kiran initiative has helped over 1,450 poverty-stricken families to improve their quality of life, financial situation and even their health with these LED lanterns. The LED lanterns produce much higher-quality light that makes it easier to work after dark and makes reading more enjoyable. By helping people to work after dark, the initiative organizers believe they have increased these families’ income potential by $454,000 per year. What a difference a little LED light can make.

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