Lightning up Bolivia

The Indians will use the WakaWaka’s for lighting their houses and as a flashlight when they work on the field in the evenings. Now they are bound to use dangerous and toxic kerosene or diesel fueled lamps for these purposes. The price for every WakaWaka Light was set depending on the income of the family. So people with a relatively low income could buy the light for a lower price than people with a higher income. This strategy made the WakaWaka affordable for everyone.

Tapacari is one of the poorest provinces of Bolivia and sparsely populated. Most villages are too small and isolated to get connected to the electricity network. The highlands of Tapacari have altitudes from 2.000 to 4.500m and the enormous erosion in this region makes it hard to grow crops. Therefore the Samay Foundation also invests in planting trees to prevent more erosion and create better cirumstances for agriculture.