A joint startup of South Korea and US-based YOLK has kickstarted a crowdfunding campaign designed to fund dozens of solar charging stations at schools across Tanzania. As Springwise reports, a campaign aimed at helping children from low-income families get access to clean energy and education in the African country.
The idea is to sell as more as possible the Solar Milk portable batteries and light. Solar Milk can be used as a power bank to charge mobile phones and also makes an excellent night or flashlight. In fact, Solar Milk provides hours of bright light per charge or six hours of soft light.
In Tanzania, one in five kids are unable to attend school because they have to work to support their families. The energy budget of the average Kenyan household takes up to 15 per cent of their monthly income, so saving money on electricity is a great benefit.
Education is key because it enables people to improve their own lives, instead of relying on external assistance.
In an African country, many poor families still rely on kerosene lighting and relatively expensive charging stations to meet their energy needs. The new project, Solar Cow, aims to provide a tangible incentive for parents in low-income families in Tanzania to send their children to school instead of work.
Children will be able to plug in their portable batteries, which are also distributed by YOLK, to the cow-shaped charging stations at their schools and attend classes while waiting for their batteries to be fully charged.
Meeting Tanzania’s short-term energy needs also helps low-income families to break out of poverty in the long term by enabling children to attain a more robust education.
