Friday 15 September 2017

Solar lanterns bring light to refugee camps

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has provided more than 600 solar lanterns to bring clean energy and safety to refugee camps in Somalia.

The renewable energy technology will be distributed to households within IDP (internally displaced persons) settlements in Mogadishu, as part of a clean power project financed by the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID).

The UN says they will significantly improve safety, especially for women and girls, as well as providing the opportunity for school children to study after dark.

The lanterns are a much safer source of light than the candles and kerosene lamps currently used - they're expected to help reduce both the risk of fire and the negative health impacts of burning kerosene indoors.

The equipment can also be used for cooking and charging mobile phones.

Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, Director-General of OFID, said: "The lanterns will offer people in displaced communities a chance to move forward towards better standards of living, despite the difficulties they continue to face."