Q: Could you describe a moment or interaction where you realized what impact you had made with One Million Lights?

A: Ah, there are so many, let me describe some:

Getting into an in depth conversation with a beneficiary made me realize this. We did an interview of an elderly woman named Susana in an off-grid community not very far from Manila. It was here where we were really able to ask someone about how our solar lights help them. She told us how not having lights only allowed her to save, but also to make brooms in the evening, something she could not do before because of the lack of light, and sell in the market in the morning to augment her income. Her house supports her kids and their kids as well. It's a big household. Asking about her dreams, she tells us that she wants her grandkids to finish schooling. Surprisingly lights play a part in this dream. Not only do they help the household save enough money to send their kids to school, but the lights served as motivation for the kids to study at night. We were told that when their family got lights, their kids would constantly bug them to teach them how to read or how to write in the evening. The much brighter lights excited the kids served as motivation to study when compared to the dim pin-light flickering kerosene lamp they were once used to. The impact of this according to Susana and the teachers were improved reading and better penmanship, something teachers noticed across their grade 4 class.