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Developing communities get the green light Ana Sidana’s One Million Lights takes on the danger of kerosene Text and Art by NOAM SHEMTOV
F
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED
One variety of lantern distributed by One Million Lights is shown lit in Anna Sidana’s living room.
amily X lives a life prototypical to Rajasthan families in India, in a shack with no running water or electricity, but where they spend little of their time, instead working on a farm miles from their home. The family has two children, who spend their mornings at the local school, and their afternoons working on a farm with their family. When the children return home and begin their schoolwork, the sun is setting. The hypothetical family’s child would usually, at this point light a kerosene lamp with expensive oil, risk fire hazard, breathe in toxic gases and damage the environment, but this family is different. What sets Family X apart is their involvement in One Million Lights, which distributes solar-powered lanterns to communities in need. Anna Sidana, the founder of this non-profit organization and a Palo Alro High School mother, has lead the organization towards recognition both locally and around the globe. A former high-tech executive, Sidana claims to have fallen into her current line of work by accident. On a coincidental visit to a school that her father had founded in Rajasthan, India, a class of school children inspired Sidana. “They [the children at the school] were excited and happy and had the same
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aspirations and dreams as everybody else, and without risk of hazard. Sidana’s daughter, and Paly sophobut their conditions were very rural, and they had no way to study at night,” Sidana more Nikki Freyermuth has been insays of the condition that planted the seed volved in several overseas projects with in Sidana’s head for what is now a global her mother’s organization. “After having grown up in such a organization with current projects in Asia, privileged neighborhood, where we have Africa and South America. The aim of One Million Lights, ac- more resources conducive to learning cording to Sidana, is to simply provide than most in the first world, it’s given light that is both safe and energy effi- me a lot of perspective to see the condicient to communities in need, and to al- tions in the places where my mom works” low these lights to act as organic catalysts Freyermuth says. The organization’s focus on education manifests for change. Students itself in two ways, first at a Rajasthan school through distribution of originally inspired Silights to students in rudana to start the orgaral community schools, nization. As a result, and second through an one of few specified educational program goals of One Million that the project adminLights is to encourage isters to schools in the growth in education Bay Area. in developing coun— ANA SIDANA, One Million Lights Sidana spoke retries. cently at some of Paly’s “The RajastAP Environmental han children were schooled in the morning, and proceeded Science classes, and mentions the enimmediately to working as farm hands rollment of several other schools in the throughout the day,” Sidana says. “When program. One Million Lights will be fanight came, and it was time to study, the cilitating seminars at these local schools children had no choice but to read by that encompass the general points of its kerosene lamp.” One Million Lights, by initiative, among these promoting awaredistributing flameless lights, could allow ness of the international environmental, these Rajasthan children to study cheaply social and economic situation. “I really
“They had the same dreams as anyone else.”