Even if you have never heard of an LED light before, you will understand the importance after reading about The Grameen Surya Bijili Foundation, from Bombay and Light Up the World Foundation, from Calgary, Canada. This wonderful organization gave $55 solar-powered lamps to 300 families in India to see what difference it made to them. Previously, these families would have to use kerosene (or other fuel sources) lamps at night to see. The problem is that kerosene is toxic if emitted indoors; especially if in a small area, like those of people who live in poverty.

According to The Intermediate Technology Development Group and the World Health Organization, air pollution that is directly related to kerosene use attributes to 1.5 million deaths, each year. Yes, that’s right; million. This is not even taking into account the deaths associated with fires that from using kerosene.

The Indian families were overjoyed with their new light source. One of the villagers told the Christian Science Monitor that, “Children can now study at night, elders can manage their chores better. Life doesn’t halt anymore when darkness falls.” Can you, as a person who has Internet access, even imagine living like that? We too often take our modern conveniences for granted.

Kerosene costs the average Indian family 4% of their income. When you are living in poverty, 4% is quite a bit of money. An LED lamp that was made in India, as opposed to China like the current model, would only cost $22 per lamp. The only catch is that a factory to make them would need to be built. This would cost upwards of $5 million dollars alone.

LED lamps, according to the Christian Science Monitor, have an output of light that is 200 times greater than that of a kerosene lamp and nearly 50 times greater than an incandescent bulb. Dave Irvine-Halliday, founder of an organization called, “Light Up the World Foundation” has helped 10,000 families in 27 third-world countries get a solar-powered lamp. Mr. Irvine-Halliday said, “This technology can light an entire rural village with less energy than that used by a single conventional 100-watt light bulb.”

Maybe if we all work together to change our light bulbs from incandescent lights to LED bulbs, we can take the money saved for 6 weeks, 6 months or 1 year and donate it to a wonderful program like Light Up the World Foundation or The Grameen Surya Bijili Foundation. Then we can help out someone that needs to see the (LED) light, literally.

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