Introducing "Project Luz"

This picture is completely unrelated to this post, but I wanted to set a happy tone.

        This post will be considerably less heavy than the previous. You have my word on that. In fact, this post is something of a joy for me to write because it allows me to share with you my new project here at Kiya Survivors: Project Luz.


        It is a remarkably simple project which I hope can help improve the quality of life for some of the families here. The best part of it all is that it won't cost any of the families a dime and the cost on our end is very minimal.


        What is Project Luz? Project Luz is my hope to use cheap and locally available resources to build "solar bottle light bulbs" which can be installed in the roofs of homes. They are well suited for the sunny climate of Peru and they work particularly well for poor families who live in either semi- or total darkness due to a lack of windows or electricity. Kiya Survivors frequently works with this particular demographic.

        These "Solar Light Bulbs" are nothing more than empty coke-a-cola bottles which are filled with water and a touch of bleach and then fitted into a hole in the roof of the house. Once they are installed in the roof they refract the sun's rays and scatter them inside the house. They work, as I have seen and read, roughly as well as a 50 watt light-bulb. They require no maintenance and their estimated lifespan is between 3-5 years. They are, if I may say so myself, a textbook example of simple ideas making a world of a difference.


Total cost per light: roughly one US dollar.

One such bottle light.

        In reality, their construction is slightly more nuanced than simply taking a hacksaw to a roof and hoping for the best, however they are sufficiently simple to build that even your average idiot (such as myself) could manage to build and install one.

Tools needed for installation: a ladder and two boards. I said more "nuanced" not more complex.

        I can not take claim for the idea of these "Solar Bottle Lights". This idea was first publicized by the "Isang Litrong Liwanag" (A Liter of Light) Project and installed in poor neighborhoods in the Philippines. I remember reading a news article about them some time ago and I remember thinking that it was a very clever idea. But at the time I had no use for it.


        I was reminded of these solar bottle lights a few short weeks ago when I stood in the home of that very ill girl who I spoke about previously. Among many other things, the house was very dark inside. Even a few light bulbs would have made a world of a difference, but the house was without electricity and without windows. How we could bring a little light to the house without major renovations was the challenge we faced.


        This is where the idea for Project Luz first conceived. It was not the result of hours of concentrated problem solving or even some creative thought process, but it was more a spark of inspiration where, for whatever reason, the neurons in my brain fired in just the right sequence and my memory of these solar bottle lights was recalled.


        Regrettably that girl will never see us install one of these lights in her house, but the poetic beauty of it all is that out of that very dark situation an idea that has the power to brighten the lives of many was born.

        I am pleased to say that we have already installed three of these solar lights and that they are working even better than I could have hoped. Even at two weeks of age Project Luz is already helping two families. Next week we will install at least one more.

The children of the first home in which we installed two solar lights. They're holding some of the foodstuffs we regularly deliver to them: milk, oatmeal, and canned fish.

        In light of these recent developments with this project and as a result of me thoroughly enjoying my time here in Urubamba I have changed my travel plans. I planned on leaving Urubamba on the 18th of March and spending nearly a month in northern Peru, but I have decided my time would be better spent in this region. Therefore I have decided to spend an extra two weeks here at the Rainbow Center and I will not be leaving the highlands of Peru until the 11th of April. This doesn't really change anything for you all back back home, but there's the new plan!


        This does mean that I won't get a chance to see Mama Cocha, but I will get to see the Peruvian jungle, Lake Titicaca, and I'll get to take another two weeks of salsa dancing lessons. Dancing in size 46 (size 12) hiking boots does add an extra bit of a challenge.

Look at the shoes! The shoes!

        That's all for now. If you're reading this thinking "I could use some solar bottle lights!" then please direct your attention here. If you're reading this thinking "this whole Kiya Survivors thing sounds pretty cool" then direct your attention here.


Ciao!