Hi Folks,
My name is Dave Irvine-Halliday and as this is my first venture into the world of blog I am a wee bit ‘concerned’ as to where it might, or might not, lead.
As my very first blog may end up being read by no one I’ll keep it to the point.
Over a decade ago my wife Jenny and I started working on the idea that it might be possible to light up the homes of the 2 billion or so people in the developing world with Renewable Energy powered Light Emitting Diodes (LED). Most of these folk use dangerous, unhealthy, dim and costly fuel based lighting, i.e. kerosene and candles, and they have no connection to the electrical grid.
The specific reason behind the idea was so that children could read, write and study in the evenings, because in most of the developing world the nights are very long throughout the entire year.
As transplanted Scot’s we were raised on the fundamental belief that “Education is everything, and if you can read, write and do arithmetic then there is nothing that you cannot achieve”. We believe that more than ever!
To many it seemed a really daft idea at the time but over the last decade it has proven to be not such a bad idea after all and now that wee family initiative has grown into “Light Up The World (LUTW)”, the global leader in bringing affordable Solid State Lighting (SSL) to those at the base of the economic pyramid (BOP) [44 countries to date]. It is absolutely astonishing just how much useful light one get from a 1 Watt White LED (WLED) lamp, and it really has to be seen to be believed.
Why am I starting my first blog you might be wondering? It’s a fair question and the answer is quite straightforward – LUTW needs your help!
From day one the fundamental philosophy of LUTW was that the developing world had to be assisted to light itself up, and the role we had to play was very largely as a knowledge provider.
What we also discovered over the years is that a very high percentage of those at the BOP are spending around US $100 per year on kerosene and candles, so it did not take a rocket scientist to conclude that if we could arrange access to Micro Credit (i.e. banking for the poor) then the families could purchase the SSL systems by borrowing the funds and simply pay it off at the same weekly amount they were previously paying for kerosene. Even without economies of scale the present cost of a LUTW SSL system can be paid off in around a year (or less) by many families, and that includes a reasonable rate of interest and a fair profit margin for our local partners. The socio-economic impact of LUTW’s SSL is truly profound and it contributes positively to all eight of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
So why does LUTW need your help?
We are a small organization which cannot possibly light up the world by itself, and never planned to, and we need help in bringing our message to those ‘movers and shakers’ throughout the world who can truly help us get homes affordably lit at an ‘exponential’ rate.
The following are some examples of the kinds of help and relationships we need:
- Funding (without funds there can be no Micro Credit)
- Partnering with Micro Credit Organizations
- Connecting/Partnering with celebrities who have their hearts in the right place: in TV, cinema, music, football, soccer, baseball, track, tennis, etc.
- Connecting/Partnering with the corporate world and governments, so that we can show them just how they can help the developing world help itself.
- Note: With Micro Credit, investors get their money back if they wish.
I think I have said enough, especially if no one reads this, so I’ll sign off by recommending the truly inspirational books by Greg Mortenson (“Three Cups of Tea – One man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time”) and John Wood (“Leaving Microsoft to Change the World – An Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate the World’s Children”). We know each other and all have a great deal in common – the education of children in the developing world!
You might be interested in the fact that the three of us had our life changing ideas in the Himalayas: Greg in 1993 (Pakistan), John in 1998 (Nepal) and me in 1997 (Nepal).
Take care and I hope you see the light.
Namaste,
Dave.
www.lutw.org dave@lutw.org Tel: 403-220-5941 (O)
P.S. The following links provide a great deal of information on LUTW and its work:
http://whyfiles.org/270sustain_develop/
http://www.rolexawards.com/journal/pdf/journal22-art6.pdf (PDF file)
