Notes from the Field

In this edition of Notes of the Field, we discuss how Iniciativa Comunitaria has brought much-needed light to Puerto Rican communities affected by Hurricane Maria.

In this edition of Notes From the Field, we recap our most recent Facebook Livestream with Threadies co-founder Steve Lehmann. We talk about the positive impact his company is making on Syrian children living in refugee camps.

Eager to learn more about how our lights are used in communities affected by Cyclone Idai, we were lucky to have the opportunity to speak with Jeremy Williamson, an International Deployment Manager with Convoy of Hope.

Much of Puerto Rico is still without power one month after Hurricane Maria, and families are still struggling to recover without electricity. LuminAID co-founders Anna and Andrea decided to fly to Puerto Rico with hundreds of solar phone charger and solar lights in tow. They distributed aid with humanitarian partner Convoy of Hope, and saw the impact of that access to solar is having for families in Puerto Rico. 

When Anna and Andrea were attaching batteries and solar panels together to make the first solar inflatable lanterns in their kitchen, the two graduate students knew little about how far their lights would go. 5 years later, the little idea of the LuminAID light found its way to Malawi in southeast Africa, to help families whose houses has been destroyed by extreme flooding. Anna and Andrea had the opportunity to help out, and see the impact of LuminAID lights in person -- for the first time.