Year Seven Students Light Up Lives

In May 2020, Year seven Girton Grammar School students took part in a technology-based initiative that helped them to learn about energy poverty, renewable energy and global citizenship.

The SolarBuddy School Program entails assembling portable solar lights from a kit and donating the lights to children living in energy poverty throughout the South Pacific, South East Asia and Africa.

Head of Academic Services, Mr Rod Smith, said that the initiative combines learning with practical application and intercultural understanding.

“This program, run by a registered Australian charity, fits within our technology curriculum and simultaneously supports the community service ethos of the school. 

“The students will assemble solar lights under the guidance of facilitators from SolarBuddy and in doing so will be helping disadvantaged communities reduce reliance on dangerous and unhealthy energy sources such as kerosene, diesel, wood and candles.

“The goal of the SolarBuddy School Program is to allow children living in poverty to study long after the sun goes down, improving their education outcomes and overall health and wellbeing.

“Our students relate well to supporting a programme that is targeted at helping other school students. They learn something about electronics and something about those less fortunate than themselves, so this is a fantastic initiative on different levels,” Mr Smith said. 

Studies from SolarBuddy (https://solarbuddy.org/) show that children who receive the gift of a solar light spend less time collecting firewood for cooking and heating and instead spend more time attending class, preparing for exams and completing homework assignments. An Impact Assessment commissioned by SolarBuddy and KTF found that when children received a SolarBuddy light, there was a 78% increase in time spent on homework and an 80% reduction in average weekly expenditure on kerosene.

“Science and technology hold so many of the solutions to environmental, educational and social issues around the world and we are pleased to immerse our students in this one small solution.

“It is important for young people to understand that they have the power to make a difference and to think about science and technology as solutions-based disciplines,” Mr Smith said. 

Solar Buddy: www.solarbuddy.org