Currently, about 1.3 billion people across the globe live in the areas without electricity, facing health and economic difficulties. For cooking and night-lighting, they burn firewood, dung, and kerosene, which all release smoke. Not only is the smoke a major health-hazard, it also takes a great deal of time for the family to collect wood and dung, and it damages forests, resulting in deforestation in the area. It’s also known that people in the non-electrified areas face serious social problems.
Last year Panasonic initiated the 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project, along with out Cut Out the Darkness lantern design campaign, with a goal to creatively light the world, one lantern a time by donating 100,000 solar lanterns to off-grid communities by 2018.
The compact solar lights make a huge difference to the recipient’s quality of life, allowing children to study in the evening in places without electricity, giving adults light to cook by, lighting paths and living areas at night and even charging mobile phones to keep people in touch with each other.
We are now in Phase 2 of the campaign, shining a light in the darkness in West Timor, Indonesia. 110 solar lanterns and shades were donated to the village of Sone, in west Timor, Indonesia, which has no access to electricity. The lanterns featured shades bearing animal designs that were submitted to the Cut Out the Darkness campaign. Villagers enjoyed a special moment when all the lights were turned on at once, making a “zoo of light” appeared before everyone’s eyes.
We plan to continue working on the 100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project as part of our efforts to pursue “A Better Life, A Better World” and to contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Cut Out the Darkness.
100 Thousand Solar Lanterns Project.
