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A distribution of these lights will occur in Northern Kenya where people live in small villages in homes with no windows or light typically made from sticks, mud, or dung with no electricity. The homes are extremely dark all day long. Most homes in this area use battery torches (flashlights) that are very dim or use kerosene for light as well as heating & cooking. Both lighting resources prove to be unhealthy and inadequate for daily living tasks and studying. The batteries & kerosene represent a large portion of their income which leaves very little for food & sustenance. Receiving a light means better education (kids can study longer into the day), more productivity (women can make their beaded jewelry to sell after the kids go to bed & men can farm or fish before dawn without danger of animal attacks), more community (women get together with 1 or 2 lights to do their beadwork as a group), all while starting their journey out of poverty. They will be taught the premise of "old money" and "new money". Old money is what they were spending on batteries & kerosene. They box that the light comes in serves as a "bank" in which they put their old money into every day. They are encouraged to take that saved money and invest it so that their financial situation can improve exponentially. Chickens, goats, cows, camels translate into new money and with that new money comes safety, security, & possibilities. As we teach them to say, "Akaidemi" (It is possible). This continues the Lighthouse Project in the NRT and we will again work in conjunction with NRT & the Rotary Club of Isiolo and enlist 1-3 additional CLubs: Celebration, Thika Road, and Magharibi (all Nairobi). The training & involvement of these local partners insures sustainability and the ability to distribute to even more families in need.
This would be the second District 5495 request by RC Goodyear PebbleCreek and is our second priority for Dist. 5495 funding after our Christmas Food Baskets.
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