Dubai
An estimated 1.6 billion individuals around the world have no access to electricity, as stated in a report published by The Washington Post, a US-based newspaper. It is imperative that we as the youth give back to the community by attempting to make lives better. This is why we started the initiative called “Go solar”, which aims to educate individuals about solar energy and how it can be applied in our everyday lives.
Our dependence on the use of fossil fuels has grown exponentially in the past few years. Thus, it is imperative that we make use of alternative resources that can protect our environment and cater to our needs.
We are living in a world where development is augmenting at a rapid pace. Even though the privileged are able to adapt to these changes, there are many who are not able to keep up with these advancements.
As a solution to this dilemma, I decided to implement my ideas through a real-time project. I completed my first project in Delhi, India over the summer, where I educated 25 students about solar energy and its benefits. The main objective was to teach them about the technology and how it can be implemented in our everyday lives.
Additionally, I developed a presentation, which will be shown to the students, going forward, on a monthly basis.
Sapna, my mother and a homemaker based in Dubai, has been very encouraging so far. She believes that we need to understand alternatives to traditional forms of electricity so that we can provide a better future for the generations to come.
She said: “At first, I thought that it might be challenging to implement two different projects, but after he planned his routine, our approach was very clear. In the modern world, it is very important that we are aware of these advancements. Personally, I believe that solar energy is the best renewable form of energy as it doesn’t harm our environment in any way. Therefore, I believe that understanding about this technology in great detail can allow our youth to understand how they can progress in life.”
The next phase of the project included a visit to a rural village in Tapukara, Alwer District, where I provided 10 families with solar lanterns and discussed how the use of this sustainable energy can impact their life in a positive way. The main aim of this project is to provide the unfortunate with lights so that there is no obstacle that they have to face when it comes to education, especially with a focus towards female education!
Being able to bring a smile on the faces of those children was a great reward. I believe that sometimes we need to get out of our comfort zone and be able to provide for the people who are not receiving what we do in our lives.
Rachna Sippy, a college counsellor at my school, believes that our energy needs to be channelled in the right manner. After a few meetings with her, we came up with the idea of lighting up people’s lives. It was time to change our thoughts into action.
She said: “We had regular meetings where we discussed the obstacles at each stage in the project, and eliminated them step by step. With our global resources being depleted at an alarming level, solar power is surely the way forward in the modern world. To be able to charge a hand-held, portable device that also charges your mobile phone and gives you ten hours of light seemed to be the most brilliant solution we could offer to the villagers in North India.”
Where there is light, there is learning, Sippy believes. She helped me with not just my ideas, but also in making sure the campaign worked. “Where there is education, there is vision, there is progress and prosperity,” she added.
It was a great way to express our knowledge and develop our community. It is important that we take a step to further eradicate the difficulties these individuals have to face.
By doing such things, I aim to achieve my goal of providing 100 houses with the lanterns to ensure that their progress in life is not hindered. May it be houses or even schools, together, we can make this world a better place. For details about my project, you can also visit my website: www.gosolar.net.in/
— The reader is a student based in Dubai.
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