Brighten the Future of Gaza's Children

In Gaza, these days, power goes off 16 hours a day: 8 hours on and 8 hours off. That is when we’re lucky; sometimes an entire day passes with no power. Many people aren’t able to afford alternatives like generators or UPS systems, so they just stand around, waiting for power to turn on. With generous support from GlobalGivers like you, Rebuilding Alliance was able to distribute Little Sun personal solar lights and also ten SunBox power systems to families in need.

My name is Omnia Ghassan and I am a Coordinator for We Are Not Numbers -- a group of young writers who aspire to deliver the Palestinian cause to all English speakers. I was asked by RA to visit its four Non-Governmental Organization partners in charge of the distribution, and also those ten families who received full systems to evaluate the project.

All total, Rebuilding Alliance's partners have distributed 35,600 personal solar lights (both Luci Lights and Little Suns), and recently installed ten Sunbox home solar systems.

Youth Vision Society program manager, Mr. Bilal Al Shaer, sais that the SunBox installments -- solar panels that work as an alternative and affordable source of energy when the electricity is off -- "help people, especially children, with asthma to turn on nebulizers at home without having to go to hospitals. It is also more economical than other expensive alternatives." 

The Sunbox system was designed by Gaza engineer Majd Mashharawi and her innovative new company to provide enough electricity to power lamps, charge laptops and cellphones, run a small refrigerator and even a TV set.  Livana, a housewife whose home benefited from the SunBox installment, said this makes a big difference. “My very sick mother-in-law finds solace in watching TV with a light fan breeze whenever the power is out and the weather is hot.”

Director of Al Basma Club for the Disabled, Mr. Eid Shaqura, said that many disabled in the club have benefited from the Little Suns while training when the power is out. Also, fishermen benefited "because of its waterproof feature; it worked as a guide when they were out on the water."

I was especially touched by when Women Program Center Director, Mrs. Najah Ayyash, said that the Little Suns mostly benefit housewives in completing their chores, elders while going to Al-Fajr prayer when it's still dark, and children studying and doing their homework.

She encountered a little girl in the second grade named Maram who suffers from Nyctalopia and now considers the Luci Light (the product distribued before the Little Suns) her best friend. "She was so introverted because of her inability to see at night," Najah said. "Now, it's like she has night-eyes — she can go visit her cousins and play."

And then she told me of a man on an electric wheelchair whom cars couldn't see when the street lamps were off. He taped a Little Sun on the back of his chair to make sure that drivers would see him. Who could ever think of this mind-blowing idea!

The Director of Al Amal Society for Rehabilitation, Mr. Zeyad Al-Abed, explained that the Little Suns held a special advantage for the deaf. "While they can't hear danger, they can see it," he said.

Your donation helped to ensure that thousands in need of light received it. We're incredibly grateful for your decision to support this project. You, dear donor, made this happen — and we’re looking forward to sharing our next steps soon!

Links:

• Here's more about the SunBox company
• 1.4Mil views: Majd's TED TALK-Making bricks from rubble in Gaza
• Maram means Aspiration -what a solar light can mean