Bike to the Future Fundraising Part 1 – Solar Aid

Cycling the mountains of Georgia

1 year ago I set off on a bike ride from London to Sydney to raise money and awareness for two charities. In part 1 of this post I want to tell you a little bit about the first of those charities, Solar Aid, and why its a great idea for you to donate now.

The Cycle Challenge

Back in July 2012 I set off from a rainy Trafalgar Square in London in a bid to cycle across Europe, Asia and Australia. My 20,000km route took me through 27 countries across the Alps, Middle East and into the Himalayas. I cycled through the tropics of a South East Asia before my final hurdle: crossing the vast continent of Australia from Perth in the West to Sydney in the East.

Dusty roads in Cambodia

You can follow the final leg of my around the world bicycle adventure on Facebook or twitter (@jamesdesmond), or catch up on past stories from the trip.

Who are Solar Aid and what do they do?

Solar Aid are an international charity who combat global poverty & climate change by bringing clean, renewable power to some of the most remote regions of the world.

Showing off the solar lights with the guys at Solar Aid HQ

Solar Aid are based in London and are currently working in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia  with the ambitious goal to “Eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa by 2020″.

Find out more at: www.solar-aid.org/about or watch the inspirational video below:

The Problem?

598 million off-grid Africans have no access to electricity and many rely on toxic kerosene for lighting. These brutal lamps emit noxious black smoke and burn up to 20% of the household income – locking millions into poverty.

So what’s the Solution?

Solar Aid sell solar lights to rural African communities through their SunnyMoney Schools Programme.

By catalysing the market and ensuring the availability of quality solar lights, they can replace kerosene lamps with clean, safe, affordable alternatives.

Solar lights cost as little as $10, pay for themselves after 12 weeks and last for five years. Having free, clean light and not wasting money on kerosene transforms peoples’ chances in life.

“A solar lamp does more than shine a light. A solar lamp protects the environment and transforms lives.”

The D – Light

D-Light makes it to Everest Base camp

At the start of my trip Solar Aid gave me one of their solar lights to show and explain to people on my travels. Little did I know that it would turn into one of my most useful camping accessories too!

The D-Light is a great little tool. Simplicity is its key: On one side of it’s rotating frame is a small solar panel and on the other a high power LED light. Sit the D-Light in the sun all day and you have good quality light for 4 hours in the evening. For those without access to electricity, and that includes me on the bike sometimes, its an incredible and liberating piece of kit.

For me it means I can read and write in my tent in the evening but for families in Africa it means a whole lot more. You just have to imagine an evening without electricity to understand the possibilities it unlocks. Children can study extra hours in the day, it can help with cooking, getting water from the well and even just chatting into the evenings with your family – all things we may take for granted with unlimited access to electricity and light.

How can you help?

Solar Aid need your support to fund the distribution of small solar lights in the remotest regions of Africa. Lights are selling fast – help them keep up with the overwhelming demand.

Just £5 will allow a family to replace a kerosene lantern. Fund as many as you can!

Selling the Lights?

Yep! At first this looks odd – but this is both essential for the creation of a sustainable market for solar lights and the only way to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa for good.

All income generated by the sale of lights is invested back into their work: helping to make this an incredibly cost-effective way of combatting both poverty and climate change.

For more info see: http://www.solar-aid.org/how-it-works/

How to Donate

Donating is easy through my Justgiving page. Just click the button below and donate away. How many homes can you light? Help me reach my £5,000 target!

As I enter the last few weeks of the trip I’ll be giving shout-outs and retweets for every donation that comes in! Let me on know twitter @Jamesdesmond and tag @Solaraid to help spread the word!

Some more good news stories from Solar Aid

- A grandma in Tanzania told SolarAid that she uses the savings from reducing kerosene thanks to solar lights to buy milk for her grandchildren.

- Families now have more light. “We use the solar light for reading, cooking, chatting with my family as well as going to the water tap at night,” was the feedback from Nyirenda who bought a solar light in Malawi.

- Francis, a teacher at Ole Ntutu School in Kenya, has noticed improved performance of children with solar lights and how “they now love books”.

- Kibenei from Kenya told SolarAid, “My family are not coughing anymore because they are not inhaling the toxic flames produced by the kerosene lights”.

- Pachal in Malawi told us that his solar light is “reliable and not expensive compared to kerosene since once you buy it uses the sunlight for charging”.

- And new SolarAid research findings shows children in rural Tanzania are doing one more hour of study each evening since having a solar light.