Give the Gift of Light

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Update (July 16, 2016) - We are sending the initial batch of solar reading lights / off-grid survival lights to Bukidnon. Read more here (Beyond the first month.....)

Update (June 29, 2016) - Focus on / profile of a potential beneficiary community - Lumads of Bukidnon. Read more here

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Imagine these:

Families in remote / off-grid communities without access to safe and cost-effective light. They rely on unsafe and costly kerosene lamps.

Children in some parts of the Philippines needing to walk and hike for four (4) hours or more to get to school, and have to take the same route (hopefully at a time when it is still not dark) and comes home to a house with no electricity and they use kerosene lantern to light at night. Their safety and protection is at risk on their way to and from school as well as in their own homes.

Children in remote and secluded off-grid communities needing to study and review their school lessons at night using hazardous / precarious / unsafe and costly kerosene lamps. Families still having to finish chores and work at night using the same hazardous / precarious unsafe and costly kerosene lamps.

Then imagine these:

Give the Gift of Light – to someone in need

The ‘Give the Gift of Light’ is a fundraising campaign to help bring solar reading lights and solar mobile device chargers (sometimes also called off-grid survival light) to individuals, families and communities living in off-grid (does not have access to electricity) rural and remote areas in the Philippines.

In this campaign, your modest contribution will allow an individual or a family in the Philippines to receive a solar reading light with mobile device charger. You can choose communities in the Philippines to whom you want to have the solar reading lamp donated. We have partnered with certain groups and individuals who are already working in (ie doing mission work) in these communities and they will be our partners in ensuring that the donated items reach the intended recipients / beneficiaries.

Or, you can simply purchase this great (innovative, cost-friendly, useful) product for your own use at the same time, automatically contributing a portion of the purchase cost to this campaign and its beneficiaries.

Ways you can be involved:

$30 – will allow you to purchase one (1) unit solar reading light for your own use (yes, the item will go to you). The cost excludes shipping cost. Your purchase of the solar reading light at $30 allows us to donate $5 to a pool of funds to be used to give solar reading lights to our target communities;

$25 – will allow you to have one (1) unit solar reading light donated to a community of your choice. Just let us know which community will be the recipient of your donated solar reading light and we will work with our partners in the area to have it delivered on your behalf.

$50 – will allow you to purchase one (1) unit solar reading light for your own use (yes, one item will go to you) AND have one (1) other unit solar reading light donated to a community of your choice. Notes: (a) The cost excludes shipping cost of the solar reading light to be sent to you; and (b) just let us know which community will be the recipient of your donated solar reading light and we will work with our partners in the area to have it delivered on your behalf.

Any other amount (different from the 3 amounts given above) - any amount you donate which is not $30, $25 or $50) will be placed in a pool of funds to be used to give solar reading lights to our target communities;

Purchase / contributions / backing is NOT limited to only US dollar (USD $) currency but can also be via Philippine pesos (PHP). Likewise, purchase / contributions / backing is not limited to 'online' transactions (using Paypal and/or a credit/debit card) but can also be 'offline' in the form of cash, money remittance or bank transfer/deposit. Kindly get in touch with the campaign owner and/or any of the fundraising team members to discuss / explore other purchase / contribution / backing options. Thank you.

Partners and beneficiary communities:

Lumad community in Bukidnon - Through our partner and missionary, Bro. Arnel Alvarez, we have identified 25 families in Brgy. Sitio Anghel, Malaybalay, Bukidnon (outskirts of the town/city proper) belonging to the Lumad tribe (Indigenous Peoples group in the Philippines). Their community is off-grid and these 25 families cannot afford solar kits, unlike their neighbors. These families have children who are taking up primary and secondary education and the solar reading lights with mobile phone chargers will help them with their studies (reading and reviewing lessons at night time). Note: We placed photos and updated the profile about our partners and target beneficiaries via an 'Update' on this campaign which you can view here (Update - Potential Community Beneficiary Profile #1 - Lumads of Bukidnon).

Aetas communities in Zambales and Pampanga - Through our partners and missionaries working with the Aeta communities (Aeta is one of the Indigenous Peoples groups in the Philippines), we plan to distribute solar reading lamps to families and individuals. Quoting one of our campaign partners, Julian Barcega who is doing missionary work with the Aetas of Zambales: "I have ministered to the people of Botolan, Zambales and I have seen the lives of our brethren Aetas and this solar powered lamp will serve a better source of light during the evening in their nipa huts."

Farming and Fishing Communities in Camotes Island, Province of Cebu -

Mangyan communities in Mindoro -

Christian Pastors and MIssionaries assigned in Rural and Remote (mostly off-grid) areas in the Philippines

* Note: We are currently looking for partners and workers who have information about and who are working with communities, families and individuals in off-grid communities who will benefit from the solar reading lights. Interested partners may get in touch with the campaign owner. We can include you as a partner in this campaign so that communities you currently work with can benefit from donated solar reading lamps and mobile device chargers.

** Note 2: This section (Partners and Beneficiary Communities) will continually be updated and kept up-to-date with info provided by our partners working with the communities (profiles about the communities, needs identification and assessment, updates on donations made, etc).