Young social entrepreneur, Salima Visram, grew up in Kenya where there is no at-home electricity for most school age children.
“My vision for Soular is to make a holistic system of interventions and services that give people the tool to alleviate themselves from poverty,”
This makes reading or studying at night almost impossible without the use of kerosene, which has caused nearly 4,000 deaths per year due to toxic fumes.
Her brilliant idea, The Soular Backpack, combines a backpack, solar panel/battery, and an LED lamp that can be disconnected and reconnected for use at home.
The sun charges the batteries while the children walk to and from school, and provide 4 hours of light each night! Not only does this benefit the academics of the children, but the entire family have access to a non-toxic light source.
Watch her powerful video here:
Commitment to Philanthropy
“My vision for Soular is to make a holistic system of interventions and services that give people the tool to alleviate themselves from poverty,” Visram said. “We want to partner with a bank, so that the money saved on kerosene every month goes into a secondary education fund for the child. We want to set up micro-franchises in rural villages to sell lamps and batteries, in order to generate employment. We’ve just moved production to Kenya, which is creating more employment and impact within the region. Realizing how electricity is at the center of education, health and economic development is also something that inspired me to start it.”
She has partnered with Disney to bring her project to new heights.
Learn More:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/viviennedecker/2016/09/09/the-23-year-old-behind-soular-is-bringing-solar-powered-backpacks-to-children-in-africa/#6fd735af6978
