Lighting up the future of Uganda’s children with solar in schools

Light is an essential necessity. For students, having light at night to study can make a huge difference in their performance. Many students in rural areas come from homes that have no electricity and can not study at night. Some schools are not connected to the grid. Even for those on the grid, Ugandan electricity is not very reliable; electricity may be available for only 3-5 hours a day.

During July 2013, a group of EWB students from Virginia Tech installed a solar system at the St. Joseph Secondary school in Villa Maria to help students have reliable source electricity. The students can now study at night without interruption of the usual blackouts. The system is saving the school a lot of money in electrical bills which can be redirected to other educational programs.

Many thanks to the Powell family and others who generously contributed to this project as well as the engineering students who made this project a reality. The team has previously installed a similar system at Hope Academy and the orphanage.