I am the Project Coordinator for the Dumakyi and Nantan villages. These are farming communities, and I watched the people in Dumakyi go without light until the solar lanterns were distributed last September. The pupils are now able to undertake all their assignments they bring home from school. Also, the cost that the parents had to incur for flashlights and batteries, kerosene, and other sources of light are now going toward books and other school expenses. As a teacher in the school, I can see how the lanterns have improved the academic performance of the students.
I have also seen individual families transformed, one of them the Betia family. After the death of the Mr. Betia, the father and breadwinner of the family, everything turned upside down. Abigail, the eldest daughter had to drop out of her seamstress apprenticeship after she became pregnant. The house was leaking and the bedding they were sleeping on – the floor – made it even worse. Donors stepped in for this family and provided funds for Abigail to begin another apprenticeship with a seamstress who allows her to bring her baby to work. They also provided funds for the roof to be repaired and for new bedding to protect Abigail, her baby, and the rest of the family from nightly mosquito bites. The solar lamp provided to the family has helped the youngest son, Kwadwo, in his studies. He now has a very happy school life. We are grateful for all the donors and for what they have done for the families in both Dumakyi and Nantan.