Light for Learning Social Enterprise

by Terry Maynard

We are recycling expired solar garden lights into reading lights for ABCDreams students!  It’s hoped that students with reading lights will be more successful in their studies.

Since ABCDreams students do not have access to electricity we thought we could set up some of our graduating students in a micro business to make solar powered reading lights in their communities.

We are offering secondary school students in Ontario, the opportunity to earn community volunteer hours (40 hours required to graduate grade 12) by collecting and disassembling the solar panel and LED lights in discarded garden lights.  These components will be sent to Africa along with instructions for building and selling affordable solar reading lights.  It’s great when a problem in one country (like expired solar garden lights heading to landfills) is a solution for a need in another country.

Pictured here is the ABCDreams solar light collection box and display at Banting Memorial Secondary School in Alliston that attracted the names of 35 students committed to help collect lights.  Students will be meeting at The Blue Frog Cafe in Alliston on Dec. 9th to disassemble the lights.  Also pictured here is a prototype of a solar powered reading light that can be easily build from the items being sent to Africa and items locally available in the African communities.

3 thoughts on “Light for Learning Social Enterprise

  1. Excellent project!

    It’s brilliant to transform one seemingly dead technology into a vibrant one that breathes life into a community. Life knows no extinction, only the transference of energy, they say. Way to fight the good fight, Terry!

  2. I love that! I hope soon you will introduce the solar here in Africa for the ABCD students because they face problem of reading power so through Frank Smith and Mama Lynn Bird you can do this because they are coming in Tanzania on Jan 18, 2011.
    Asante.

  3. Hello Sebastian;

    You bless my heart with your comment. I’m so glad the solar reading light can help with student’s problems. I hope to collect lots or parts for Frank and Mama Lynn to bring to Africa. I hope there are a few people in Africa who will be good at assembling the parts to make the lights.

    Thank you for your blessing.
    Terry

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