EBHS student raising funds to send solar-powered lamp kits to Indian people in need

This summer, while other kids are playing video games or cooling off at the beach, one township teen is spending his time raising money to light up the lives of others half a world away.Suchir Karmarkar, 14, launched the New Jersey-based nonprofit initiative LightUpIndia last September to bring solar-powered lamp kits to households with school-going children in rural India that lack electricity. So far he has raised more than $2,500, in part through candy, water and soda sales at Little League games and Indian cultural events. Friends and family members who heard about his project have also donated.
At a cost of $80, the solar kit comes with a solar-powered lamp, a solar candle and a cable that connects the lamp to a solar panel installed on the roof of the house. The sun charges the panel and powers the lamp for up to five hours, Suchir said, noting that it even works on cloudy days."It's much more convenient and safer than a kerosene lamp, which could be hazardous to operate. It lasts much longer as well," he said.Through research, Suchir learned that more than 275 million people in India are without electricity and nearly 100 million more are affected by extremely unreliable access, according to the International Energy Agency. By some estimates, 100 million schoolchildren do not have access to dependable electricity or face severe power shortages at home.
In April, Suchir's mother, Manisha, took time off from her job as an analyst to accompany Suchir to the western Indian state of Maharashtra to purchase and install the first kits. With help from Suchir's grandfather and uncle, a social worker was hired to locate needy families in nearby villages to receive the kits.Each morning, Suchir and his mother rose before dawn to beat the sweltering afternoon heat and set out for their destination. Even Manisha, who grew up in the nearby city of Akola, was shocked by the poverty they encountered — two parents living with four or five children in oneroom houses made of tin."It was 110 degrees there, and in that hot weather they live without electricity. And once it gets dark, it's completely dark. I can't tell you how bad it was," Manisha said.In seven days, Suchir was able to provide solar kits to 25 families in 15 villages."When I showed them how the solar kit charged and I hit the button, the light switched on and their faces were immediately blanketed with smiles," he recalled, noting that some people shed tears and others saluted his grandfather for such a useful gift from his grandson.