A college student brightens lives in India
Most college students don鈥檛 know what they want to major in, let alone what their mission in life might be. But New York University student Mansi Prakash鈥檚 goals couldn鈥檛 be clearer: to bring clean energy to developing nations, , and .
Not bad for a 20-year-old economics major who first witnessed the energy dilemma听on a 2010 visit to her grandparents鈥� village in 听and later founded the nonprofit .
鈥淢ost families have light bulbs鈥攖hey just weren鈥檛 turning them on and using them,鈥� Prakash recalls of her trip. 鈥淚 was intrigued by this, and as I interacted with them more, I learned that this living condition stemmed from low incomes and electricity costs. For someone who couldn鈥檛 afford food three times a day, paying the high electricity bills was not an option.鈥�
An idea clicked for Prakash: Do away with the energy-inefficient 60-watt incandescent bulbs that only work for two months and replace them with 11-watt compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) bulbs, which鈥攚hile initially costing more at $2 per bulb instead of 20 cents鈥攚ould last significantly longer, averaging three to four years. In the end, the swap would reduce household electric bill payments by 80 percent.
That family savings that could easily go toward education or health care, Prakash says.
Her idea made waves in the aid world, where her project has already gained major traction thanks to partners like the Clinton Foundation, Philips, and a $20,0000 grand prize from听Glamour magazine, which she took home in April after winning the publication鈥檚听听肠辞尘辫别迟颈迟颈辞苍.
So, Why Should you Care? About in rural India have no access to electricity, according to the United Nations. More than one-third of the country鈥檚 massive population鈥�1.24 billion people鈥攁lso lives below the poverty line, with an of $1,330. An electricity revolution would not only help save money in the near and long term but would also ensure that families have more hours in the day to be productive, and that children are able to study and play safely at night in their homes.
Prakash pitched her idea at the Clinton Global Initiative University Conference in March 2014, where she was named a winner in the Social Venture Competition. Awarded with a fellowship to pilot her 100-household program in India that summer, she soon partnered with Philips, which agreed to sponsor 100 percent of the light bulbs. Together, the team brought cost-effective, eco-friendly, long-lasting lighting that same year to all 5,300 Behlana Village residents for the first time.
During the pilot phase, Prakash founded Brighter Today, with 100 percent of the organization鈥檚 donations going directly to her team鈥檚 efforts. And a little goes a long way鈥攁n entire household can be electrified for $10. Brighter Today鈥檚 next step is figuring out how to implement a long-term, one-for-one model.
These days, though, Prakash is focusing on a new project for the Philippines called Light for Life. Powered by daylight, it鈥檚 a solar panel prototype that can provide 24-7 lighting and fan power as well as a station for recharging mobile phones, says Prakash, who will be partnering with Philips again for the rollout.
鈥淭he device has been assembled with local materials readily available and has been tested for the last six months with encouraging results,鈥� she says, adding that it requires no maintenance, is easy to install, and has zero running costs.
The innovation will bring free, clean, and sustainable power to homes, and will be made possible with the grand prize money from her Glamour win, all of which will go directly to the project. Prakash and her team plan to assemble and distribute the Light for Life devices in rural communities throughout the Philippines in coming months.
鈥淲e hope to implement the device on a large scale and light up thousands of lives and ultimately improve their quality of life,鈥� she says.
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鈥� Jake Kilroy is an award-winning writer based in Southern California. He currently writes for Playboy, The Venue Report, and Column Five Media.
鈥� at , a leading source of socially relevant news, features, opinion, entertainment, and information 鈥� all focused on the issues that shape our lives. Visit .
