Efforts are underway to replace tin lamps in Kisumu West Sub County with solar lamps.
The project being undertaken by Umoja Foundation aims at giving learners under their care a source of light which is not harmful to their eyes.
The Foundation director Leonard Otiende says they are giving blankets and solar lights to all the children benefiting from their program.
Otiende says the blankets will cushion the children mostly orphans from the cold weather.
He says many families are unable to have adequate blankets for their children exposing them to danger.
“In some families there are four to five children and at bed time it is always war on who uses the blanket,” he said.
He says lack of sleep normally hinders education of children since they spent most of the night wrangling over a piece of blanket.
Otiende further says that the solar lamps will come in handy for the learners who are book worms.
“Some Children like studying during the night but sometimes there is no money for paraffin, these solar lamps do not require any additional spending,” he said.
He noted that research indicate that people who are exposed to paraffin smoke do tend to develop some diseases and the solar lamps will be addressing that concern.
Speaking to over 500 parents and pupils who benefitted from the donations in an event that was held at Bar Anding’o primary school, Otiende says COVID-19 pandemic slowed down their calendar.
He promised that with the economy slowly opening up, they will start rolling their programs in the vast sub county.
Otiende says soon they will give out food donations to the families and start working on school uniforms for the learners under their care.
“We could not work on the school uniforms because we feared some learners would increase in weight and outgrown the uniforms,” he said.
The parents who attended the event were all happy with the support they have continued to receive from Umoja Foundation.
Margaret Oketch says the blankets and solar lights will go a long way in alleviating problems affecting many families.
Oketch says the Foundation came to their aid during the Corona virus by donating food items that included maize, beans and rice.
“The Foundation has been good and kind to us, we are not complaining,” she said.
The gesture by the Foundation was also hailed by the learners who are now confident that they will work hard in school.
By LTN Reporter.
