Children in East Sumba are reading SolarBuddy guidance leaflets while lamps charge under the sun.

This new Picture of the Day shows something simple, almost ordinary: children sitting on the ground, reading a small printed leaflet while their yellow SolarBuddy lamps rest in the sun, quietly charging for the night to come.

Behind this image lies a long chain of preparation. Before any lamp reaches a child in East Sumba, our teams work with SolarBuddy, Rotary Australia, Kawan Baik Indonesia and our volunteers to organise logistics, customs clearance, transport between islands, storage and school coordination.

Every box is counted. Every village list is verified. Every school is visited. Distribution is never just a handover. It is education.

When children receive their SolarBuddy, they also receive this small document. It sets out clear recommendations: always keep the lamp charged in the sun; avoid dropping it, stepping on it, or immersing it in water; share the light with siblings; and use it to read, study, and work safely at night. For the SolarBuddy water bucket, simple hygiene rules are added: use clean running water for handwashing, close the lid properly, store it above ground and away from animals. These are practical instructions, but they are also lessons in responsibility.

There is something deeply moving about watching the children carefully unfold this leaflet. In many of these schools, there is no electricity. There are no printers. Receiving a printed page made especially for them is rare. They read it seriously. They keep it. It becomes theirs. See the map we have developed here, which shows you clearly.

And then comes the ritual. Even though the lamps are already charged, we all go outside together and place them in the sun. It is a symbolic act. A lesson in autonomy. Light does not come from nowhere. It must be prepared.

In 2026, we will receive 2,450 new SolarBuddy Junior and SolarBuddy Student lamps. Each one will follow the same path: preparation, education, distribution, responsibility. This is how we work. Methodically. Transparently. With partners who share the same commitment to precision and impact.

A lamp is not just a device. It is a tool for learning, safety and dignity. And it starts here, in the sun, in the hands of a child who now has light of their own.

Today, the 19th of February 2026 – Alex Wettstein

List of Related Organisations with Hyperlinks

• SolarBuddy: Provides solar lights and structured energy education to children worldwide living without electricity.
• Rotary International: Global humanitarian network supporting education, health and energy access initiatives.
• UNICEF energy access programs: Support child development and safe learning environments in low-resource settings.
• WHO hand hygiene guidance: Provides global standards on hand hygiene and infection prevention.
• World Bank energy access: Promotes sustainable energy solutions in low-income regions.
• Sustainable Energy for All: Advances universal access to affordable and reliable energy.