Homemade light bulbs provide free source of solar-powered light in the Philippines

December 29, 2011

Solar-powered light bulbs are being assembled from recycled materials and installed in rural homes in the Philippines. National Public Radio reports that the light bulbs are make from plastic soda bottles that are filled with water and bleach. They are wedged into holes cut in the tin roofs of makeshift homes, and give off an equivalent of 55 watts of light without needing any electricity.

"It's safer, it's healthier, it's brighter," Illac Diaz, the head of nonprofift company MyShelter Foundation, told the news source. "And the funny thing is the light bulb actually comes from the place you'd least expect it, which is the trash bin. So it's the cheapest light bulb in the world."

Nelly Duka, one of the volunteers assembling the inexpensive lighting alternatives explained to NPR that the lightbulbs have a shelf life of five years. These bulbs will help many people who may be unable to afford electricity while they struggle to make ends meet.

People who are interested in these and other efforts to assist impoverished Filipino people can make calls to the Philippines to ask their friends how they can help.

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