Few families in Rantau Panjang village of rural Malaysia own generators to power their everyday appliances, especially at night. Many families have to rely on kerosene lamps and candles for light in the evenings after the sunsets. As a result, family members are very limited in terms of what they can do at home at night. To address these types of challenges, the Global Peace Foundation has supported the All-Lights Village Project to enhance the quality of life for families in communities by providing education, technology, and clean energy solutions. Global Peace Foundation Malaysia, in partnership with Epic and the Zurich Foundation, installed solar lights in Rantau Panjang village and conducted training to help families maintain the lights. With this particular project, they installed solar devices in 48 homes. Families that previously used electric generators were now able to save 17 USD per month on electricity with the newly installed solar panels. “I had to spend a lot of money to light the house. Now I can save more money,” said Rohani from the Rantau Panjang village. “I can do the cooking at night, my children can have a better eyesight when reading, and my husband can continue to do weaving at night to generate income.”
Conducting training on solar lights maintenance
The families are able to be more productive as the lights would allow for evening activities that range from studying, household work as well as work to help produce income for the family. The solar panels also help to remove health and safety hazards and reduce pollution normally associated with using kerosene lamps. Another recipient of the solar panels, Chandek, commented, “I didn’t know that the kerosene lamps that are used to light up at night will cause health hazards and environmental pollution. Now with this renewable energy solar lights, I feel safe and better health for my family. It will be a huge relief for me.”
Kamarudin from the Rantau Panjang village said, “We’ve never had any NGOs coming into our village before so this engagement was an opportunity for us to connect with different people and work together as a village to make sure this experience was a good one for all involved. Hopefully, this engagement and the distribution of solar lights will serve as a start for future progress of this village.”
All-Lights Village Project also serves communities in Mongolia, the Philippines, Nepal and others around the world. Click here to learn more about the latest news related to the project.
