Meet Our Spring 2022 Gift Of Light Grantees

For the Spring 2022 cycle of the Gift of Light Partner Program, we’ve chosen four organizations to receive donated Chandler Chargers and Luke Lights. Each of these organizations share common values with Unite to Light - their projects align with one of our focus areas: improving global health, assisting those experiencing homelessness, aiding in education, and helping those facing disasters. Lights and Chargers for this program were generated through our Buy One | Give One program; for every light we sell, we donate one. These are the projects that directly benefit from the “Give One” portion of our sales:

​COMMUNITY HEALTH PARTNERS HONDURAS

Community Health Partners Honduras operates to serve communities in the Santa Ana and Opatoro regions of Honduras that do not have broad access to healthcare. They do so with a community-based approach that distributes healthcare through local practitioners and works to create partnerships with existing rural healthcare practitioners, as well as educating communities. 

Previously, we have worked with Community Health Partners Honduras to provide Luke Lights to communities that rely on a large trash dump to provide them with recyclable materials to sell - these solar lights allow community members to safely locate sellable materials, and to provide light in their homes. Additionally, lights have been distributed to vulnerable families that are in most need. The continuation of our partnership with Community Health Partners Honduras will bring more solar lights to these programs.

​GIRL UP INITIATIVE UGANDA

Girl Up Initiative Uganda (GUIU) aims to advance gender equity by supporting girls living in slum communities in Kampala, Uganda through education programs, skill development, and economic empowerment. With programs that teach sexual and reproductive health and rights, leadership skills and community support, they hope to address the roots of educational inequalities while transforming gender norms. ​

According to GUIU, over 90% of the girls and women in these programs lack electricity, which poses a massive challenge to their education. Often, the only time to study is at night, which leaves girls to rely on candlelight. By partnering with Unite to Light, the distribution of solar Luke Lights will aid in widening access to Girl Up Initiative Uganda’s educational programs to girls and young women who otherwise would face hurdles in the form of a lack of electricity. ​

REACH FOR UGANDA

REACH For Uganda, formerly Arlington Academy of Hope Uganda, assists students living in rural villages without electricity and provides support through education, healthcare, and technological and agricultural programs. Founded by Joyce and John Wanda, both from Uganda, REACH works with students on the ground and has a 100% success rate of students in the Arlington Junior Academy, the main school program, going on to secondary school. 

Often, students arrive home from school late in the afternoon, and only have enough daylight to help their families with daily chores before the sun sets.  By continuing to partner with Unite to Light, REACH For Uganda will be able to provide students with lights that allow them to study at night, instead of needing to rely on dangerous and unhealthy kerosene lamps or candles. ​

​ORGAEPSI AND SALUD MENTAL ECUADOR

Orgaepsi and Salud Mental Ecuador both work to improve the mental health of Ecuadorians through opening access to mental health resources. To achieve this, the two organizations are working on a project called “Empowering Women through Mental Health and Community Outreach Projects,” which will travel to 16 different rural communities in Ecuador. These rural communities, all in different provinces, have little to no electricity access. Many of the workshops on mental health, education, and human rights need to be given during the day, as there is not enough light at night, which causes barriers to the work Orgaepsi and Salud Mental Ecuador hope to do in these 16 communities. By partnering with Unite to Light, each community will have access to electricity with Luke Lights and Chandler Chargers. ​

We are so grateful for those we are partnering with during this Gift of Light cycle. Each organization is doing incredibly important work, and through the Gift of Light partnership program, we are able to support this work and bring light to those in need. By using our Buy One | Give One and sharing that with their network, as well as our fundraising platform, organizations have helped Unite to Light to stretch our donation dollars and help more people in need. Together we can light the world.