(6 Nov 2018) LEADIN:
Solar-powered suitcases are bringing light to darkened classrooms and struggling students in rural Kenya.
The western region of Kakamega County is prone to electricity blackouts.  Tin kerosene lamps were previously the only viable alternative.
STORYLINE:
Break time at Ekambuli primary school in Kenya's Kakamega County.
The western Kenyan region is prone to electricity blackouts, sometimes lasting a fortnight, leaving school students in the dark.
Now, a new energy solution is brightening darkened classrooms. It's called a We Share Solar suitcase and puts renewable energy into the school's lighting.
The stand-alone, twelve-volt suitcases are being deployed to schools in remote areas across Kenya and Sub-Saharan Africa by California-based charity We Care Solar.
"It has helped us a lot because when I was using a tin kerosene lamp, it used to give me a lot of health problems, particularly in my chest and eyes," says year eight student, Lameck Ambale.
"But this one has no health effects. We use it as long as we want."
"When there's (a) blackout, you can continue the studies and you can extend your learning time. And this has helped in improving our grades," says year eight student, Veronica Ang'ayo.
Head teacher Billy Aswani claims grades are indeed improving as a result.
The school had previously been ranked as one of the lowest performing in the East African country. Now that's beginning to change.
"We used to have very few pupils proceeding to high school, but now we have almost everybody going to high school because they have enough time to read, enough light to read and there is no problem," says Aswani.
"We don't have the health problems we used to have, when they used to have the tin lamps, because solar system is clean, and they are able to study without breaking or being sick."
The alternative, before solar power, were small, tin kerosene lamps, like the one Muhunzulu Education Centre student Refaa Afande uses to study every night.
She says the fuel-burning light source has caused her health problems, including itchy eyes.
Kerosene fuel is also expensive, meaning many rural homes can't afford to fill them daily.
"There are so many problems we get from using this tin lamp," she says.
"Many times, they affect our eyes because of the smoke emitted, and it brings discomfort when we are in class, and it makes our eyes itch.
"Then there is the cost of paraffin, which has gone up again and maybe you want to study and then the fuel is finished, and the lamp goes off, so you have no choice but to stop studying."
Teachers say the solar-powered lighting also helps them keep track of sometimes mischievous teenage students.
"When the electricity goes off during our preps, maybe morning or evening preps, we are able to switch on the lights from the solar (system), to enable us control the youth," says teacher Leonida Ongachi Oloo.
"You know, dealing with the teenagers is not easy, so when the light goes off, we switch on the solar system and we are able to curb any other behaviour that might crop in."
Parents of students say they've also noticed a difference.
"Since we put solar (power) in the school at Ekambuli, the grades of my child have improved dramatically," says Daniel Ongong'i Ombete, who's daughter goes to Ekambuli primary school.
"And even when we go for parents' meetings at the school, recently, I have not heard anyone complaining of eyes or chest problems as they did when we used kerosene."
Charity We Care Solar's solar suitcases were first deployed in June 2009.

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