Before solar power, pastors and their families relied on expensive and dangerous kerosene to light their homes. Children are particularly at risk from burns caused by kerosene lamps. In low income countries, housefires caused by lamps accidentally knocked over are commonplace.

APF’s Let There Be Light Solar project changes all that. In Tanzania and Rwanda, APF solar power is bringing free, clean and safe light to villages. Bright light makes all the difference when it come to study or children’s homework. But on top of the savings from kerosene, solar power units are being used to generate income for the household by charging neighbours’ mobile phones. Using a small percentage of their mobile phone charging profits, pastors are paying back into the scheme so more solar units can be bought and others can benefit.

In Tanzania, APF’s Let There Be Light solar project is located in remote rural parts of Morogoro Region where APF are working with local partner Watu Nanuru, to equip pastors with solar power units.

In Morogoro, Tanzania families are saving about TZS 20,000 per month on kerosene. This is about 20% of monthly household expenditure. As people in the local community visited the pastor’s house to charge their mobile phone, pastors were able to provide pastoral care from home. One pastor placed a bulb outside his home. Now his house had become a hub for the entire community. In the evenings, the whole village gathered at his house which had helped him build a strong relationship with all his neighbours.

Good quality light means pastors can work into the evening preparing for services or studying. This means time in daylight house is used for farming, the main source of household income. It also means pastors’ households can run small businesses like tailoring in the evenings.

Please give to Let There Be Light solar projects.

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Solar light and phone charging in Tanzania in action