John,

In the heart of South Sudan, where the sun shines so hot that temperatures regularly reach 40°C, nearly 11 million people live in complete darkness after dusk.

Except, that is, for the kerosene lamps that emit toxic fumes equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes a day. More children under five die from respiratory illnesses than anything else.

But our community-led partner is racing to change that, installing solar-powered lighting in village after village, lighting up the night and saving thousands from health problems.

We're working with them to install solar-powered lights in six villages – and you can help. Each solar light costs just $20 and lasts for 5-10 years. The work will start once enough is raised to light every home, clinic, and school in a village, so no one is left out.

Can you help bring light to 2,400 families in South Sudan?

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Without electricity, people can spend up to half their lives in darkness. After sundown, children can’t study, farmers can’t finish chores and the entire community is forced to shut down.

The alternatives like kerosene make homes a dangerous place to be – leaving everyone inside vulnerable to a fire suddenly erupting and a dangerous amount of black carbon fumes. A single kerosene lamp emits up to one tonne of carbon over five years!

That’s why the work Solar Links is doing with local communities is so important.

Households can save as much as 30% of their income by replacing kerosene lamps with solar lights – money that can be used for food, school fees, bedding and roofing. And because there are no carbon emissions from solar-powered lighting, people live healthier lives for longer. 

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Our amazing partner has already given more than 15,000 families, schools, hospitals and clinics in Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi the gift of light – transforming entire communities one by one.

The impact reaches way beyond each individual home. Every family contributes a small amount towards the cost of solar lighting in the following year for neighbouring communities and local projects. And because they train members of the community as Lighting Engineers, we’ll help empower communities to keep the technology working indefinitely and carry forward the mission of empowering their neighbours.

Now, they’re ready to bring solar lighting to thousands of households in South Sudan. They just need the funds to do it.

John, it’s rare that a single donation can make such a huge difference almost instantaneously. Can you chip in now so that together, we can forever transform an entire village with solar lights? 

I'll donate $3I'll donate $4 I'll donate $5I'll donate $9I'll donate another amount