Light up Linga Linga

– A Continuing and Growing Project

In December 2022, we initiated a fundraising campaign to support the transportation of solar products generously donated by Bright Products. By the early months of 2023, we had raised enough funds to commence the process of finding shipping solutions. The journey involved transporting these products by train from Nairobi to Mombasa, then by boat to Beira in Mozambique, and finally, reloading onto smaller trucks for the last leg of the trip to Linga Linga. The journey was long and complex, but by the beginning of June, everything was in place for us to begin distribution.

Together with the community leaders, we went from house to house, delivering lamps and demonstrating how to use them. Recipients had the opportunity to unpack and test all the features to ensure they understood how the lamps worked. While it may seem cumbersome, the reality is that it's far from intuitive for many people to use products that we might consider simple.

As of the end of October/November 2023, we have achieved the following milestones:

• Provided light to 229 families - 782 individuals, including 368 children - enabling them to charge their mobile devices with the lamps.

• Equipped Hospital Rural de Chicuque, Maxixie with lighting in all treatment rooms, allowing them to provide care, surgery and labour even during power outages.

• Provided reliable lighting 24/7 to 14 health and maternity clinics in Morrumbene District.

• Supplied 40 nurses and midwives with portable lamps for safer travel to and from clinics and patients during dark hours in Maxixie municipality and Morrumbene District

• Installed lighting and mobile charging systems at 6 police stations, and patrolling officers have received portable solar lamps.

• Provided 45 principals and teachers at primary schools in Morrumbene district with lamps and mobile chargers.

• Distributed lamps and mobile chargers to 315 village chiefs and community leaders from every village in Morrumbene District.

We have held various handover ceremonies in the presence of local politicians and officials to highlight the Project Vita's efforts and the contributions of our donors.

In September, we organized a celebration in Linga Linga and invited all the villagers. We prepared rice, pots of beans, vegetables, and even chicken feet for over 400 attendees, along with dance performances by both girls and boys from the school. It was a fantastic day and evening filled with joy and camaraderie.

Now, we continue to distribute to more households, with the goal of ensuring that everyone in Linga Linga has lamps before Christmas, as well as expanding to more clinics, hospitals, and those in need. Once again, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed and made this possible!"