Jezuba means "thank you" in Burmese, and is the name of a non-profit organization that has simple objectives linked to innovation: helping small Burmese artisans to sell their creations through e-commerce, for example, or donating solar lanterns to populations of Saharan Africa.
The cornerstones of immediate, simple and concrete action: education and photovoltaic energy to abandon kerosene.
A slow killer
Kerosene is a dangerous substance that also sheds little light: photovoltaic energy can last longer and does not pollute the air. Millions of children suffer serious burns every year from kerosene lamps, the mechanism of which does not allow the flame to go out immediately following accidental contact.
If this doesn't seem like much to you, here's how solar lanterns can do good in Africa. With a solar lanternQuite simply, people can:
Reading at night
Because today it is economically unsustainable, I know that seems absurd.
Return home safely after dark.
No one likes to travel a dark and unsafe road: villagers are vulnerable to attacks of predators or ill-intentioned people, or are hit by passing cars. The lanterns Solar lights increase personal safety by illuminating the streets and helping to distinguish pedestrians.
Keep predators away from stocks
In sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers and ranchers have kept hungry animals away and minimized losses. A study shows that 63% of them have benefited from using solar lanterns to illuminate food supplies and herds.
Go to the bathroom at night
Otherwise, the alternative is to try into the dark to find matches and light a kerosene lamp, with all the risks of accidents (many every year) that entails.
Go fishing at night
Many fishermen on Lake Victoria in Uganda today carry solar lanterns, which they use al place of kerosene lamps. More light, more safety.
Playing with friends after dark
Children love to talk and play around a solar lantern without suffer the poisonous fumes of kerosene, and no one risks getting burned.
Recharge your mobile phone or spread music
Most solar lantern models are equipped with USB ports that allow it: another way to stay connected, when you can, to the rest of the world.
Allocate the already little money to better things
Many African governments spend millions of euros in subsidies to allow the population to buy kerosene, wasting economic resources and still exposing people in rural areas to risks and poor night lighting. Despite the subsidy, the average expenditure for kerosene sometimes almost reaches half the daily budget of entire populations.
For this reason, Jezuba's is a model that must be followed: we need organizations that dedicate themselves not only to having an economic and social impact on their communities, but that teach them to change paradigm.
