A solar lighting initiative by PhoScope

Light from the Middle East

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September 16, 2021

Poster for Light from the Middle East, a live, online fundraising event that was held on September 16th, 2021.

Our live, online fundraising event Light from the Middle East was a huge success! Thanks to our generous sponsors, donors and ticket-buyers we raised $23,000 for our program Light for Lebanon, to bring solar-powered lighting to Beirut.

We thank our generous sponsors from the Middle East: our Shining Sponsor Huda Lighting who got the ball rolling on our event, our Silver Sponsors Debbas Group and Traxon, our Bronze Sponsors Lutron and Nulty, and our donors Studio Mark and LuxBuro. We cannot do this important work without your generous support.

Thank you to the amazingly talented Mayssa Karaa for joining us and for sharing your special song for Lebanon — we all had goosebumps! Click here for the music video to Ta’aa and be inspired.

Temporary Art Platform, Beirut

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September 10, 2021

  • audience watching a film screening outside

Our collaboration with Temporary Art Platform that was up Aug. 27 – Sept.5 was a great illustration of the synthesis of creativity and sustainability for building resilience and community. We illuminated the Beirut RiverLESS Forest urban afforestation project to create a magical setting for 10 days of artistic installations, film screenings and live performances on a stage built from repurposed billboards.

  • solar lights embedded in greenery and lighting up a pathway

LEAD WITH LIGHT

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September 2, 2021

WILD panel poster with headshots of panelists

Is light a basic human right? Do you want to learn about social engagement through lighting? Do you want to help communities facing darkness? Women in Lighting and Design hosted this stellar panel on September 9th, but if you missed it, you can still purchase a ticket here to access the recording. Our panelists spoke about their important work in this arena: Francesca Bastianini on Gowanus Lighting Project, Leela Shanker on “Open“, Nathalie Rozot on Light Reach and Manal Kahale on Light for Lebanon. The panel was moderated by the inimitable Sam Koerbel of Lytei. All ticket proceeds benefit Light for Lebanon — help us re-illuminate Beirut!

Light for Lebanon Phase 1 is Fully Funded!

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August 21, 2021

We are thrilled to announce that thanks to our generous supporters, Phase 1 is fully funded! With our first 3,700 solar lights, we will soon have served around 1,600 families, 300 buildings, 10 streets, 1 park and 1 mobile playground.

We are officially kicking off Phase 2 by raising an additional $150,000 to purchase and distribute an additional 4,500 solar portables, 450 solar flood lights and 45 solar streetlights.

We thank our generous sponsors:

We also thank our many individual supporters. None of this important work is possible without your generous support! There is a lot more work to be done. The current fuel crisis, compounding the existing economic and political crises, means fuel is completely unaffordable to many (if they can even find any). Through covid lockdowns and protests we are distributing and installing solar-powered lighting to give residents back their lives after sunset. Help us make sure that no one is left in the dark!

Participlay Mobile Playground

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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!

L’Orient le Jour spotlights Light for Lebanon

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August 12, 2021

L’Orient le Jour interviewed our partners Manal Kahale and Elizabeth Bouloss about what inspired them to create Light for Lebanon and about our work re-illuminating Beirut with solar-powered lighting. Click the link here to learn more about our current activities and future plans for this program.

Streetlights are up!

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July 26, 2021

Streetlight with banner showing our logos

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!

WIL Awards Announced Today: We Won!

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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:

  • DMF logo
  • DLF logo
  • Targetti logo
  • BEGA logo
  • essential light logo
  • JLC Tech logo

Performance Lighting Systems, IES Los Angeles Section, Loop Lighting, Bold Lighting

1,500 solar lights in Beirut

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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.

arc features Light for Lebanon

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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.