CALL TO ACTION
“Giving Filipino school children a fighting chance at success”
By Prof. Mydah F. Kabingue, CAS Faculty Member/JCI Rep.
This has been the rallying call of LUCE or Light Up Cebu – a collaborative project between Cebu Technological University, JCI-Cebu, Data-Phil Technology Educators, Inc., and the Climate Reality Project.
The project aims to provide solar-powered lights to Filipino school children. By providing light, these children can do assignments and study for examinations, while the rest of the family does household chores at night. At the same time, the use of only solar-powered lights contributes to resolving the issue on climate change.
LUCE started last November 25, 2015 with a seminar-workshop on how to install solar panels for home-use. It produced 150 student installers.On December 18, the first installation in a mountain barangay was conducted.
The biggest installation,so far, has been in Barangay To-ong, where 15 family beneficiaries received the gift of light. Such mountain installations would require thirty minutes to one and a half hour hike for the installing team.
“Salamat sa pag-ari. Maski among balay duul nakaayu sa langit”, said one father as he watched a student installer putting a solar panel on his rooftop.
The Light Up Cebu collaboration is made possible by donors who purchase the solar sets for these family beneficiaries, especially their school children. JCI (Junior Chamber International) Cebu scouts for these donors and coordinates with the Barangay school officials. In turn, the school officials identify possible beneficiaries who pass the criteria – the house must have no light and there must be at least one child in school.
Data-Phil Technology Educators, Inc. supplies the technical expertise while Cebu Technological University provides the student installers and monitors the beneficiaries. On the other hand, the Climate Reality Project aligns the initiative with the global movement on climate change.
Furthermore, last January 2016, the Film and Media Arts International Academy entered into the collaboration by committing to document the initiative. This has already produced the featurette on Almira, one of the first children to have received the solar light.
Posted on April 13, 2016 1:51 am