The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in collaboration with the Australian based non-profit Solar Buddy, is working to bring light into communities around the world where electricity is not widely available. The Church donated solar powered light kits to families in Papua New Guinea who would otherwise spend their evenings in darkness.
In December 2024, young members of the Port Moresby Stake in Papua New Guinea met to assemble five hundred kits provided by Solar Buddy. The kits charge themselves with daylight, and then light homes during the night.
After assembly, the kits were transported to Gavuone, Papua New Guinea, a vibrant but largely isolated community of about 2,000 people on the Gulf of Papua.
At a ceremony on 15 April 2025, the assembled kits were distributed to students at the Gavuone Primary School. Every student at the school received a Solar Buddy kit.
Headmaster Dahra Latha said the kits are a blessing to his struggling region.
“My children really need these solar lights. We have a problem where children in the community do not do their homework because of no lights in the house. Providing these kinds of lights to them will help them do a better job with their homework and will improve their studies especially in the home.”
At the assembly, every student was given an individual light. Many immediately opened their lights and began charging them under the tropical sun.
The effects of the arrival of the Solar Buddy kits were immediate. In the home of 15-year-old Thara Obea, the young student was able to complete her homework in the evening, when the rest of the home had fallen dark.
In the nearby home of 17-year-old Benjamin Koio, the high school student was able to study for an upcoming test without having to build a special fire to provide light.
Since its collaboration with Solar Buddy began in 2023, members of the Church of Jesus Christ has helped assemble and distribute over 11,000 light boxes around the world. In the process, both the givers and the receivers have been blessed, as both spiritual and physical light radiates more clearly in a world burdened by darkness.
