By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Three retired West Michigan doctors and an electrician have banded together to create a small solar-powered lantern that is changing the lives of women and families in Rwanda. The lantern, called the K Light, is meant to replace the dangerous kerosene lanterns most Rwandan families use because their homes do not have electricity.
Dr. Dale Williams and electrician Bill Greenhoe devised a soda-can-sized lantern that puts out a powerful 7.2 volts of light using a 0.75-watt solar panel. The idea came after the men, on a mission trip with the United Methodist Church of Grand Rapids, devised a way to power three Rwandan schools with solar panels, giving the schools the ability to operate computers.
Doctors Dr. Martin Graber and Dr. Nicholas Pietrangelo joined the endeavor forming PiSAT Solar, and now the lanterns are creating business opportunities for Rwandan women.
“We have a project with the Rwandan government where they train women to create simple businesses,” says Dr. Williams. “We have 20 pilot groups of three women each who will assemble the lanterns and sell them. They get the first 10 free, and can use the money to buy more and sell them for a profit.”
The lanterns, also available in the United States in a waterproof style, feature LED bulbs that last 100,000 hours, powered by fuel that costs nothing. The first order of 17,000 lanterns will ship to Rwanda soon.
“For the price of six months' worth of kerosene, Rwandans can purchase a light that will last a lifetime and cost nothing to operate,” says Dr. Williams.
If the Rwandan endeavor makes any money, company founders plan to reinvest it and take the business opportunity to people in Darfur.
The K Light is available in the U.S. via the web, and company founders are working to indentify potential retailers to carry the lantern. The company just hired its first full-time employee, a GVSU business major, and is eyeing a potential location near downtown.
Source: Dale Williams, PiSAT; Kelly Smallegan-Maas, Lambert Edwards and Associates
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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