A Billion Acts, A Little Sun

“We’re convinced that average, ordinary people can tackle the toughest issues facing humanity.” -Dawn Engle and Ivan Suvanjieff​​​​​​​

Little Sun works to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7, to make affordable and clean energy for all. They traveled to Puerto Rico earlier this year to distribute solar powered lanterns to communities in the mountains of Añasco and Utuado which are still without electricity.

A small ambitious Ethiopian nonprofit which manufactures and distributes portable solar powered lanterns is one of twelve nominees for the 2018 Billion Acts campaign: Little Sun is nominated along with IKEA for the Best Social Enterprise Act.

The company, which started with the intention of providing night time light for young Ethiopian students, has brought light from the sun to millions, expanding its reach to refugee camp residents and disaster zones, including supplying lanterns last winter to Hurricane ravaged Puerto Rico.

The statistics detailing lack of access to light represent a significant challenge:

Educating young people about the importance of solar energy plays a critical role in creating a more sustainable future for our planet.
Without energy, children cannot study after dark, compromising their education. Without education, they have fewer future prospects. Solar energy can help children get a better education. And education about solar makes children aware of smart energy solutions and gives them the tools to make a better future for themselves – and for our planet. Teaching kids about solar and sustainability will translate into an acceleration of green policies, sustainability research, and innovative tech solutions in the future. Little Sun Education

“One Billion Acts of Peace” Campaign

The PeaceJam Foundation and Google are major players in the #BillionActs campaign, “an international global citizens’ movement designed to tackle the most important problems facing our planet.”
Fourteen Nobel Peace Prize Laureates are involved in the mission to “inspire 1 billion acts of peace by 2020.” Almost 50,000,000 acts of peace have been created in the first four years of the campaign.

Little Sun provides free online downloads for children ages 3 through 12 to learn about solar energy and how the little lanterns are part of a global movement to expand the reach of clean solar technology. The educational units focus on science, technology, art and citizenship http://littlesun.com/educationproject/

Each year, two Billion Acts Hero Award semifinalists are chosen in six categories.

The 2018 semifinalists are:
 

Read more about this year’s nominees and cast your votes in each category. The contest ends May 23 and winners will be announced in Monaco this June by 1976 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Betty Williams.