Lili lives in a Shipibo community in the Amazon basin of Peru. She toils day and night making jewelry to sell to the few tourists who make the long journey to her village. Lili used to strain her eyes to work beside a homemade kerosene lantern. She attended a PowerMundo product demonstration and bought a solar battery charger and headlamp. She saw the immediate benefit of the light and, on the morning that PowerMundo was leaving the village, she waited outside our door at 5:00am to buy a second headlamp. Lili now has a healthier work environment so that she can continue making jewelry to support her family.

Rosalinda lives in Cullpa in the region of Junín. The two solar lamps which she purchased from PowerMundo provide additional hours of light for her to continue working on her handicrafts at night. Rosalinda sells her artwork to support her family.

1. A reading light costs about $25 (S/. 70) and has a battery life of 5 years. Customers currently spend approximately S/. 30 per month (for one point of light) or S/. 1800 in 5 years. Thus, in 5 years, a family will save approximately S/. 1730 (1800-70) or $616 when changing one of its traditional points of light to a solar lantern.
2. UNEP and en.lighten. “Off-Grid Lighting Assessment: Peru.”