“Most people cannot afford electricity here,” said Zaila, as he showed us around the Youth Center in Kismayo he helps to manage. “Most people don’t have power in their home.”
Zaila is a mentor at the Youth Center. He knows firsthand how lack of light can infringe on learning, opportunities, and even safety. “In the rainy season especially, it’s dark and cold,” he said. “It’s difficult to do almost anything in the evening.”
So, we thought, let’s get these kids something we know can change lives – Watts of Love headlamps.
Thanks to The Shine On Project, we were able to give 90 kids at the Youth Center brand new solar-powered headlamps.
“They’ll use the headlamps for some many purposes,” said Zaila. “To read at night. To study and do homework. Even for security. They have outhouses which are sometimes far away from their bedrooms – now they’ll even be able to go outside at night and feel much safer.”
Many of these kids are transitioning from being a refugee outside of Somalia to coming back home, often to a place they’ve never even been before. There are so many challenges, so many new and sometimes intimidating experiences. This was one way we could help lend a little stability to their lives – one simple way to ease the transition.
