Signify Donates Solar Lanterns to Rohingya

EINDHOVEN, the Netherlands – Signify and BRAC, one of the world’s leading non-governmental organizations, are distributing Philips LifeLight solar lanterns to more than 46,000 Rohingya families in Bangladesh. The solar lanterns will significantly improve the living conditions in the refugees’ makeshift shelters and especially improve the safety and security of women and children at night. So far, they have distributed solar lanterns for 22,495 Rohingya families, reaching 132,720 individuals, of which 66,360 are children.

Lighting is a key enabler to create safer spaces. Especially in refugee camps where women and children are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, lighting can make a real difference. Our continued collaboration with BRAC leverages the strengths and resources of both organizations to deliver interventions like these. — Prajna Khanna, Director of the Signify Foundation

Previously the camps have been pitch black at night, making basic activities almost impossible. On top of that there were immediate concerns about the safety and security of women and children, in their shelters, moving around the camps and going to the toilet at night. The shelters desperately needed lighting to increase security and support their basic needs.

“These clean solar powered lights will make the camps a much safer place at night, and are, therefore, making a much-needed contribution to the lives of people who are spending days in unimaginable difficulties. We hope this partnership with an organization like Signify will be another step towards making lasting impact,” said Asif Saleh, Senior Director, Strategy, Communication and Empowerment at BRAC and BRAC International.

“At Signify, our ambition is to create safer spaces for communities. We are honored that we’re able to support this noble cause by donating our solar-powered LifeLight Lanterns to Rohingya families living in Cox’s Bazar,” said Padmanava Gupta, Managing Director at Signify’s operations in Bangladesh.

BRAC will distribute the solar lamps through its network of offices, seed and agricultural staff and community health workers. It will provide detailed training on care and maintenance and how to get replacements under warranty. Each lamp will be accompanied by an instruction and information sheet in the Rakhine language and script. BRAC will also work with local solar companies and local companies in the Cox’s Bazar area to install and maintain the LifeLight Home systems. These companies will be trained on the specific Philips-branded products and will provide technical support.