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Solar Lights for
Reading
By Tina Lam
|
 The
idea of giving solar powered
lights to poor students in
Vietnam began under
the bright sunlight of Houston,
Texas. Hao, my engineer husband,
who had long been interested in
solar technologies, installed a
small solar panel for a light
bulb in our backyard shed. With
a full sun along with a larger
panel, why not a brighter light
for reading after sunset? I
vividly remember not being able
to study my schoolbooks at night
in my village when lights were
out and now we can give students
in Vietnam the opportunity to do
so. How exciting!
That was 3 years ago when we
moved to Texas from Michigan. We
set our goal to provide 2 solar
lights per household in rural
villages of Vietnam. This would
allow the children to extend
their study time and help them
improve their academic
achievements.
We wanted to identify a
non-profit organization that had
built schools in Vietnam and who
would help us to ensure the
solar lights reach those in
need. Being a former trustee of
the D.O.V.E. Fund, I was excited
to present our project idea to
its Board of Trustees. “The
D.O.V.E. Fund is happy to work
with you.” said Fred Grimm, Vice
Chairman of Vietnam Projects.
This email response made my day!
I knew at that moment my dream
of giving lights to poor
students would soon become a
reality.
Through the lengthy research and
testing of various models, we
were able to purchase a reliable
unit with lights bright enough
for reading. Since Hao and I
decided to fully fund the
project, we were happy with the
D.O.V.E. Fund’s assistance in
the logistics and distribution
process - including finding
suitable recipients. We were
excited when we met the Bui Thi
Tam high school students and
their families who would receive
the solar lights. We knew the
timing was right for them so the
lights could help them study for
their upcoming college entrance
exams.
Well, after the first unit was
installed, the owner was so
excited he went with us from
home to home and helped install
the rest of the systems! Before
long we had about 100 villagers
following us to each home to see
the lights being installed. It
was an exciting day in the rural
village of Hai Lang. It was
wonderful to see the smiles and
reactions of the villagers when
the lights began to glow. We
left the village that day
knowing there were 50 homes
lighted - surrounded by the
darkness of the rural rice
fields. We learned the next day
that the village had lost power
that night - which is a common
occurrence – except, there were
50 homes that did have power –
“solar lights for reading”
power!
One light, one book, and one
child at a time, the future of
these children will be
“brighter” and more hopeful
because of our teamwork.
Respectfully,
Hao and Tina Lam
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