"Say goodbye to kerosene lamps!"

Hello, this is Than Thi Ha, from World Vision Vietnam. The solar lanterns donated in March 2016 have been delivered to the Districts of Nhu Thanh and Quan Son. Approximately 5,000 people and 3,000 children have benefitted from this donation.

In Nhu Thanh, we collaborated with the local government on the delivery. The lanterns were delivered to a variety of places including village community centers, elementary schools, kindergartens, boarding schools, and homes without electricity. All of the recipients, women, men, the old, and the young alike were happy to receive their solar lanterns.

After an orientation by local staff, the operation manuals written in Vietnamese were handed out to the users.

"Friends at Panasonic, thank you so much for these useful solar lanterns!"

Minh, who runs a farm in the off-grid village of Quang Dai gave us a comment.

"Until now, the children studied by the light of a kerosene lamp, which was too dim and made studying difficult. At times, they would use my cell phone as a light. Now with the solar lanterns, they can study well at home."

Happy children of Quang Dai village with solar lanterns in hand.

A major change from flashlights and candles

In Quan Son, community leaders, after discussion, decided to distribute the solar lanterns to children's reading circles, households with children, and local women's groups that gather at night in off-grid villages.

Until now, children in villages without electricity had to study by the light of flashlights and candles, which made studying difficult. Hieu, a ninth grader commented, "I used flashlights to study at home until now, but they'd often run out of batteries and I couldn't continue with my studies. Now with these solar lanterns, I can study as much as I want."

World Vision staff member explains how to use the solar lanterns.

Lots of smiles from people who received the solar lanterns after the orientation.

Solar lanterns boosting the motivation to study

In the recent donation, thanks to the cooperation of local governments and community leaders, we were able to distribute the solar lanterns after thorough explanations on how to use them. In particular, children who previously had difficulty studying at night were very happy that they could now study more easily. We send you our sincerest gratitude once again this year, and will report again in the future on how the solar lanterns are used.