Solar energy in a suitcase saves lives
Solar energy in a suitcase saves lives
Here are some somber statistics: a doctor in the Congo said that of 50 percent of patients who died, 80 percent of those died at night. The reason was two-fold: not enough adequate light to perform treatment and/or not enough light to offer any treatment at all.
In fact, a leading cause of death in many third world countries for both babies and the women delivering them during childbirth was a lack of adequate light.
Cue Dr. Laura Stachel and her nonprofit We Care Solar. What the nonprofit does might seem simple, but the impact it has is untold. It offers solar kits in suitcases to medical facilities in Africa, Asia and South America.
Since 2009, it has given out about 250 of these free kits. The fact that so many of these facilities are operating with kerosene lighting makes this a godsend. Take, for example, the story of a doctor in the Congo who faced an outbreak of cholera the day after receiving a kit. For the first time in his memory, no one died from the outbreak.
Just from solar energy in a suitcase. Sometimes, the simplest technology can have the most lasting impact.
Via CNN
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