THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS!
Future donations can be provided to Pact to continue work in Myanmar here http://www.pactworld.org/help-us-do-more

Please mention "Let there be light Myanmar" when you transfer money so that it goes directly to our project!

Dear supporters and followers, today (may 22, 2016) we got this report from Pact, our partner in Myanmar:

The distribution of the Solar Home Systems (SHSs) to the community was accomplished during March 2016.
A total of 384 people from 50 households in three villages from Budalin township received the photovoltaic electricity systems through the hire-purchase system, managed by the Village Development committee, to own Solar Home Systems (SHSs). Also three community places received the SHSs. By the end of the project, a total of 596 households (over 3,720 people) gained access to electricity either through purchasing SHS or benefit from the light in the community place that the "Let there be Light" project had provided.  Loans valuing $2,230 USD were provided as community loan to purchase SHSs and about 250 USD were generated from interest earned which could be used in village development activities. The “Let There Be Light“ project therefore not only provided electricity in the villages through photovoltaic solutions, but also provided additional financial resource for the village development through the interest earned by the Village Development Funds (VDFs).

Short summary

Myanmar (Burma) sits at the intersection of China, India, and the ten ASEAN nations, an area home to almost half the world’s population and some of its fastest-growing economies. But despite its neighbors’ successes, Myanmar lags badly behind. Just 26% of Myanmar's population has access to the electrical grid, at least half of whom live in cities. In rural areas, infrastructure is extremely primitive: of the estimated 68,000 villages in Myanmar, just 3,000 or so have any sort of access to power.

We are Rubén Salgado Escudero (Spain, based in Myanmar/freelance photographer www.rubensalgado.com) and Karin Hohensinner (Austria/Backoffice).
Rubén knows Myanmar very well and has done a lot of research and photography in rural areas of the country. After having published 'Solar Portraits Myanmar' Karin read the story behind and was so touched and inspired that she immediately wanted to take action.

We are raising funds to purchase and distribute solar light systems for village households across Myanmar's Dry Zone, which is located in the middle part of Myanmar and has some of the highest levels of poverty in the country. It is home to 34% of the country’s total population.

Renewable energy sources mean improving the lives of the rural population effectively - studying, sewing, fishing, cooking, harvesting, or operating a patient after the sun goes down.

With PACT, the longest running NGO in Myanmar (https://www.pactworld.org/country/myanmar), we found a trustworthy partner to help us with distribution, education and sustainability of the project.   
Pact's goal is to bring renewable energy access to one million people in Myanmar by 2020 with the project "Ahlin Yaung "("Light").

What we need

We NEED: Your donation and your support by spreading the word!

Our initial goal is to raise 25,000 USD in order to supply high quality solar home lighting systems to 250 family households. Any funds going over the initial goal will be used to provide solar light to more families in more villages.

The Impact

In a country where almost all rural labor is still unmechanized, candles - which are both expensive and dangerous - are the only source of light available once the sun sets. As building the requisite infrastructure to connect remote, rural villages to the grid will take a long time, solar energy is a viable and much-needed solution that has the potential to improve the lives of millions immediately.

For only USD 100 you can supply one house and family with a solar powered home lighting system capable of providing twelve of hours of bright and efficient LED lighting per day at no additional cost for the families.

Other ways you can help
If you can't contribute at this time, it doesn't mean you can't help.  You can always: