Short Summary

My name is Salima Visram and I am in my final year studying International Development Studies at McGill University, in Montreal. I grew up and lived beside the Kikambala village on the outskirts of Mombasa, where 22,000 people live below the poverty line. From a very young age, I was taught to understand the complexities of poverty, and to do whatever I could to contribute to its alleviation. I have witnessed the impact that poverty, and the lack of electricity can have on children's lives, and development. 

Over the past 6 months, I designed and put together The Soular Backpack, which would allow kids in rural areas to leverage the power of the sun on their long walks to  and from school every day. The backpack would have a solar panel on it, whose storage battery would later connect to an LED lamp, hence allowing children in rural areas, who have no access to electricity or who use kerosene, to study through the night. 3-4 hours in the sun would result in 7-8 hours of light. The first prototype has been manufactured. 

The Soular Backpack is something that I truly believe can impact the lives and futures of millions of children, not only in Kenya but in Africa. It targets the issue of education, the lack of electricity, and the health complications that arise due to kerosene. 4,000 deaths occur daily as a result of kerosene induced illnesses, according to the World Bank. The result of a disrupted education is the perpetuation of the vicious cycle of poverty, where children turn to child prostitution and human trafficking as a way to make a living.  

For this campaign, my goal is to raise $40,000 to place the first order of 2,000 backpacks to distribute to the Kikambala village as a pilot project. 90% of the households in the Kikambala Village do not have access to electricity. The Soular Backpack would be implemented through the Kikambala Primary School, which is a government school in the village. If successful, I eventually want to implement this and expand this to a hundred schools in the county within the next year and a half. This is in direct alignition with Kenya's Vision 2030, "Masomo Bora," which is the nation's effort to ensure that all children are educated, and realize their full potential. The Soular Backpack fits directly in line with this. 

Background

From the age of 4, my parents ensured that my siblings and I understood the complexities of poverty, and that as I grew as an individual and learnt more about the world, I also needed to ensure that the people around me, grew too. Every year since I was very young, I would collect the money I got for my birthday and sponsor an additional child's lunch for the entire year at the Kikambala Primary School, until  a feeding program was introduced. When I was 12, I formed a social business entity which employed local women from the Kikambala village to make jewelry that I designed. This was sold at a local boutique, and the money raised went towards funding a girls' choir, so that they could develop a talent and passion, giving them an incentive to stay in school and not turn to child prostitution. Two years later, this choir stood first nationally in all categories at the Kenya Music Festival. Since then, I have had the opportunity to implement projects with UNICEF, Microsoft and the Government of Kenya, and carried out initiatives in healthcare, education and childrens' rights. 

In 2010, I was invited by Her Highness Suzanne Mubarak to attend the "End Human Trafficking" Conference in Egypt, among delegates such as His Highness the Aga Khan. This exposed me to child trafficking and modern day slavery, which is a reality for millions of children who do not have an income, or an education to fall back on. The Soular Backpack is an intervention that can break this cycle. 

Impact

Your contribution will undoubtedly go a long way in paving the way for a brighter future for generations, in Kikambala, Kenya, and eventually Africa.

• For a child, The Soular Backpack would give them a chance to take charge of their own learning and education, where their walk to school will equip them with the tools to conquer the darkness of the night, and achieve the grades needed to make it into secondary school. 
• Eventually, the business model aims to allow parents to save the money they otherwise spend on kerosene for their children to study, and use it towards a secondary education fund for these children.

Next Steps