During Science Week in 2018, our grade 4 students used monies from a Science Week Grant to purchase solar light kits from Solar Buddy. They then worked in small groups to construct these solar lights as part of their exploration of renewable energy sources.
Once constructed the lights were despatched to impoverished communities in Papua New Guinea’s Southern Highlands Province – the site of a terrible earthquake in February 2018. Nipa Station Elementary School, Soi Primary School and DET Primary Schools were all recipients of the lights. These schools lost many buildings during the quake and have been struggling to make do in damaged classrooms and tents ever since.
Solar Buddy, the creator of the kits, kept our students informed as to the where the lights went and who benefited from the students’ work. They also delivered handwritten notes from our students to the students in that local community. This rich Science Week project fed into our students’ understanding of both renewable energy, sustainability, global citizenship and their study of ethical capabilities. The students were able to see a direct correlation between their effort and how that effort made a positive difference to the lives of other people in need.