Solar Buddy Student Lights
Many children in Timor-Leste have no or limited access to electricity, making study at night impossible.
We are partnering with Solar Buddy, a fabulous Australian organisation, to distribute rechargeable LED lights to children in remote parts of Timor-Leste.
Solar Buddy’s Junior Buddy Lights are hand-held lights and are easily rechargable in the sun. Solar Buddy’s Student Buddy devices illuminate an entire room and provide charging for other devices.
These lights have been shipped to Timor-Leste thanks to Rotary Donations in Kind. However their journey is really only just beginning when they land in Dili. There is tremendous effort involved in delivering them to the remote communities where they are most needed and also in educating the children on how to use and care for the lights.
We ran two successful pilot programs in 2024. One program (managed by our teacher mentor Rino Fernandes) distributed 200 lights in Bobonaro District.
The other program was managed by MAHON Foundation and distributed 250 lights in Covalima District.
MAHON Foundation is a Timorese organisation helping young people. MAHON’s volunteers undertake the journey, many hours from Dili on bad roads over many days to put these lights in the hands of children.
Following the success of the pilot programs, Solar Buddy sent sent us 2,150 Junior Buddy lights and 32 Student Buddy Lights in 2025.
MAHON Foundation has distributed 358 of these lights to 5 very remote schools in Bobonaro District. Distribution has been stopped by the rainy season which makes the roads impassable and will resume once the rains ease in early 2026.
AHFJ is a youth organisation working on Atuaro Island, which is 25 kilometres off the coast of Timor-Leste. In 2025 their determined volunteers distributed 81 Junior Buddy lights to school children in remote villages, some only accessible by water.
