A solar lighting initiative by PhoScope
August 13, 2021
We illuminated the Participlay mobile playground in the Bourj Hammoud area of Beirut. This project was conceived and constructed by Nusaned, an NGO doing great work reconstructing Beirut, and Reality Studio. Just one parking spot was needed to construct this creative safe space for children. Lebanon faces multiple ongoing crises and challenges, but we must not let child development suffer, because the future of the country depends on the kids. Projects like this give us hope!
July 26, 2021
We installed the first streetlights for our Light for Lebanon program in Beirut, on Salah Labaki road from Akkawi road to the orthodox hospital. This project was a collaboration with Live Love Beirut, an NGO doing much great work in rebuilding the country.
Firefighters also helped us to remove the old, broken lights and replace them with these beautiful solar-powered ones. Lebanon may be in an economic, political, and now a fuel crisis, but that doesn’t mean the streets have to be dark. Solar-powered lights will keep the streets safe and navigable!
June 10, 2021
We are thrilled to announce that our founder Nathalie Rozot, and our partner Manal Kahale, won the WIL Awards in the Initiative category for creating Light Reach and Light for Lebanon! 2020 was a tough year for so many people, but being able to help is the best motivator. Thank you to Women in Lighting for the acknowledgment and ongoing support, it means the world to us. You can watch Nathalie’s and Manal’s interviews from the event below (or click here to watch the full event and to see all of the inspiring nominees and winners). They explain in their own words what inspired them to create these initiatives and how you can support our work (donate here). All donations right now are funding Light for Lebanon, help us re-illuminate Beirut and demonstrate the power and resilience of solar lighting on an urban scale!
We could not do this work without the support of our generous sponsors:
Performance Lighting Systems, IES Los Angeles Section, Loop Lighting, Bold Lighting
April 22, 2021
Light Reach celebrates Earth Day with the first 1,500 solar lights for Light for Lebanon. We launched this program in response to the devastating port explosion that destroyed large swaths of Beirut in August 2020.
Beirut’s already unreliable electricity supply was crippled by the blast. With the ongoing economic crisis, the state electricity company cannot import enough fuel to power the country, so an informal network of diesel generators fills the gap. For too many people, generators, fuel and utility bills are simply not affordable, and they live in the dark.
Lighting accounts for 31% of residential electricity needs in Lebanon. Our solar lighting program reduces dependence on dirty and costly fuels, and frees up power for other urgent uses.
Our groundwork progresses rapidly (between lockdowns and curfews), and with our first 1,500 lights, we will soon have served about 800 families, 150 buildings, 5 streets and 1 park.
We work closely with fantastic local partners Beit el Baraka, Live Love Beirut, Al Chafaka, l’Ecoute and Nusaned to identify and serve those most in need,
Lighting is about more than light; it is about life after dark. Please spread the word and support our work – you can donate here.
February 16, 2021
The February 2021 issue of arc features Light for Lebanon in an interview with our partner Manal Kahale. She reveals her path to lighting design that took her from her hometown Beirut to NYC, Dubai and Los Angeles, where she met her mentors and honed her skills. She returned to Beirut to give back to a community devastated by the largest non-nuclear explosion in history, ongoing economic and political turmoil, and now the pandemic. We are thrilled to partner with her to bring our scalable and replicable solar-powered lighting model to Lebanon. Click here to read the article and if you are able, please donate.
Nov. 5, 2020
Our very own Manal Kahale will introduce our program Light for Lebanon and talk about what inspired her to become a lighting activist in her hometown Beirut. LuxLive Digital Festival by Women in Lighting will take place on November 12th from 2pm – 4pm GMT (9am – 11am EST).
Register here for what promises to be a very inspiring event!
August 28, 2020
Three weeks ago on August 4, 2020, the largest non-nuclear explosion in history tore through Beirut, destroying homes, businesses and entire neighborhoods in this beautiful metropolis that was once called the Paris of the Middle East. The blast killed over 180 people, injured 6,000 and left 300,000 homeless. An already shaky power grid sustained significant damage plunging much of the city into darkness after sunset.
This disaster unfolded on top of an existing economic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic, and ongoing protests against decades of corruption. The silver lining lies in Lebanon’s creative, entrepreneurial citizens and their can-do spirit, as they mobilize to clean up and rebuild in place of their government.
Lebanese architectural lighting designer and activist Manal Kahale contacted Light Reach to assist her in bringing solar-powered lighting to the damaged areas. Our existing replicable and scalable model is readily adaptable to quickly bring some illumination to the darkened streets without having to wait for grid restoration or construction. In this effort we launched our newest program, Light for Lebanon.
It has been three weeks and citizens have been busy clearing the rubble, but reconstruction will require a large influx of funding, equipment and materials. In the meantime too many are still living in the dark. Please DONATE to help quickly bring back the light to Beirut.
August 7, 2020
Women in Lighting kicks off its T-shirt competition to broadcast our collective messages of Hope, Solidarity, Empowerment, Light and Equality.
All profits will benefit Light Reach — we are so thrilled by, and grateful for, WIL’s and all entrants’ creative support for our mission to advance global lighting equality!
Today the voices of Women in Lighting are more important than ever: what is your message to the world?
Submit your design on the WIL website between August 17th and September 30th. The top 10 winning T-Shirt designs will be produced and sold online at the WIL T-shirt shop — more details to follow.
February 7, 2020
Today the House approved an earthquake relief package for Puerto Rico, but the White House opposes releasing the funds. Meanwhile the island is still awaiting billions of dollars in aid approved for reconstruction after Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Puerto Rico has experienced hundreds of aftershocks since the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that shook the island on January 7th and caused an island-wide power outage. This is compounding existing damage from the devastating Hurricanes Maria and Irma that still hasn’t been adequately addressed. Maria caused the largest blackout in US history (second largest in the world!) and it took 11 months to restore power. This sequence of natural disasters and inadequate responses highlight the need for off-grid power.
Light Reach’s solar lighting kits provide an immediate solution to communities experiencing light poverty: they are rapidly deployable and easy to install. In the event of a hurricane, one kit allows a community to distribute 50 portable lights to families, and to shelter and immediately re-install 10 flood lights and 5 pole lights.
Together, we can do a lot. Help us bring resilient and sustainable lighting solutions to Puerto Rican communities. Please contact us to become a project sponsor, and donate: https://lightreach.net/donate/
October 28, 2019
Thank you to WeWork for hosting a multi-city fundraising marathon for Light Reach! Staff in six cities came up with their own lighting crafting idea, and NYC also held a raffle. We are very grateful for your support and for your belief in our mission to bring light equality. Here some photos from WeWork Tokyo, WeWork Bengaluru, and WeWork NYC.
