17 November 2014: The World Bank Group’s ‘Lighting Africa’ initiative has funded an innovative library of solar lights, benefiting 55,000 rural Senegalese. The Light Library is stocked with 4,798 solar lanterns, which are available for use by 6,115 students and their families.

The project has several development attributes, including boosting uptake and demand for clean energy lighting sources, increasing rural access to electric amenities, saving families money that might otherwise be spent on batteries, kerosene or candles, and improving education by helping children complete their studying in the evenings. The solar lanterns, fueled by ‘pico-photovoltaics (PV),’ can be checked out by students of 58 schools in rural Senegal.

In areas that have had the opportunity to borrow the lanterns, 35% of families have now purchased their own product, as compared to 10% in control regions. Fourteen percent of families in the Light Library region bought lanterns that include phone-charging capabilities.

SunnyMoney, a UK-based charity, collaborated with the Senegalese Rural Electrification Agency (ASER) and Senegal’s Ministry of Education to design and deliver the Light Library project. [Lighting Africa Press Release]