June 2012 Newsletter

We are pleased to announce that Thomas is on his way to Zambia today along with 3 members of SIFE, Lambton College. As we noted in our last newsletter, the purpose of the trip is to upgrade on of our existing installations and to guide the SIFE members in their fact-finding and assessment to determine future work in Zambia by the College. We are very pleased that the Globallight Projects work inspires others. There is so much to be done!

Thanks to all those who made this year’s trip possible. Nothing would happen without the support of our friends.This is our third trip in less than 2 years. We appreciate you!

One of our great supporters has been Mary Immaculate Church. For those in London, the church is holding a yard sale this coming Saturday, June 16. The church has committed funds from previous sales to our work and have promised to do so again. So, we need to help them make it as successful as possible. If you have items you would like to donate to the sale, you can drop them off at the church Friday afternoon or during the week at one of homes of the Globallight Projects team members. Then, go get some great bargains for yourself on Saturday morning. Let your friends know, too. Mary Immaculate Church is on Trafalgar Rd. just east of Clarke Rd. Send us an email if you would like more information or to let us know you are dropping something off.

We’ll give you a report on Thomas’ trip later in the summer. We would be happy to come and share in person, too. Thanks again for your interest and help. Have a great summer!

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

Sorry; I have no space left for advice. Just do it.

~Donald E. Westlake

Your GlobalLight Projects Team
Thomas, Wayde, Peter, Marilyn & Doug

May 2012 Newsletter

The GlobalLight Projects team celebrates with one of its own: Thomas Chona has completed a 3 year program of studies in Alternative Energy Engineering Technology at Lambton College. Prior to becoming a founding member of GlobalLight Projects, Thomas became a photo-voltaic technician. All of this hard work was done to bring the benefits and conveniences we all take for granted to people in the developing world. That's why GlobalLight Projects was formed and while Thomas has been a student, he led solar energy installations in two rural Zambian villages. The College has honoured Thomas for his pioneering work by providing a bursary to assist him with this year's project.

We are also pleased to announce that the Lambton chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is also taking up the challenge. SIFE is a program of a national charitable program, Advancing Canadian Entrepeneurship, which "encourages students to form teams on their campus and apply business concepts learned in the classroom to develop outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need." Inspired by GlobalLight Projects' track record of successfully installing working solar energy systems in under-developed areas, SIFE is exploring if they can form a partnership to bring a range of development capabilities to rural Zambia. To that end, 3 SIFE members, two students and an instructor will be traveling with Thomas in June. They have also graciously provided funding for Thomas' travel and some project expenses.

Thomas will graduate on June 9 and depart with the SIFE team on June 11. He will be away for 3 weeks. The purpose of this year's trip is to introduce the SIFE team to potential development partners and expose them to the needs and opportunities in rural Zambia. Thomas will also upgrade the 2 projects completed in Chona and Kasaka. Should sufficient funds be available, a school at a third site is ready and waiting for its solar power.

The GlobalLight Projects team has been working on these plans since last fall but we couldn't say anything until plans were finalized. We are excited that others want to work with us. There is so much to do! We could still use some help, though. A full school installation costs $30,000. The small installations we have done cost $10,000. We have enough funds to upgrade the existing installations, but $10,000 would really make a difference.

If you would like to help Thomas with this year's project, you can do so by following this link. As before, Royal View Church cares for the funds for us and will provide tax receipts (or CanadaHelps will if you make a credit card donation through them to Royal View). Funds need to be on hand by June 1 in order to be processed and available for Thomas' trip. To all those who have given in the past, this newsletter demonstrates your investment has brought much more than we had dared to hope.  A gift this year will make a difference to both young Canadian students and rural African children. Thank you!

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.
 – Walt Disney
          

Your GlobalLIght Projects Team
Thomas, Wayde, Peter, Marilyn & Doug

Merry Christmas

November '11 Newsletter

The GlobalLight Projects team has been busy planning for our 2012 project. The recognition and encouragement we have received from having completed our second solar installation this past summer are pointing us in new directions. There is the possibility of electrifying a  third school if sufficient funds can be raised. We are also seriously looking at continuing to build up the educational capacity of the two schools we have worked on because the point of what we are doing is not simply to provide electricity but to help more children get into secondary school and therefore have a better chance of being community leaders and making a difference in their own world. We're not ready to announce details yet, but we are working and we are excited!

You can see additional pictures of this year's work, along with some background material here.

We are so grateful to all those who have helped GlobalLight Projects get this far. You have made a difference. We would be so pleased for you to join us in the 2012 project. Some folks have decided to give the gift of light - we would be happy to send you a card to give to someone indicating you have made a gift in their honour. Just email us at the link below. Gifts may be made online or by mailing a cheque made out to Royal View Church with the notation GlobalLight Projects to Wayde Foss, 4 McManus Pl., London, ON N5V 4X2. Donations over $10 will receive a tax deductible receipt. Thank you!

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them.
~William Arthur Ward

Your GlobalLIght Projects Team
Thomas, Wayde, Peter, Marilyn & Doug

September '11 Newsletter

Two for Two! From August 22 to Sept 13, Thomas was in Zambia installing GlobalLight Projects' second solar installation, this time in the village of Kasaka. The equipment level was similar to what we put in last year in Chona village, with some refinements due to what we've learned. The people were so pleased and they also participated, carrying the expense and labour of chiseling the wire conduit into the stone walls. Everything went along well and this time Thomas was able to finish in good time and do some scouting for a future installation.

In the picture, Thomas is enjoying the view and his work with the solar collectors.

Thomas also carried with him two video projectors, one for each school and a laptop computer for Kasaka so that the electricity can be used to benefit the children's

education. A good number of videos and DVDs also went along. Think for a minute what your view of the world would be like if you never saw a National Geographic film. Well, now those kids can learn about our world in a way they never even dreamed of before. In this picture, Thomas is setting up the projector and computer.

All this was possible because of the generous support of so many friends. To all those who gave, Thank you! Every gift, no matter the size was important and we appreciate everyone who trusted us to do what we said. Every dollar given went directly to the project. We especially want to acknowledge several special partners who made particularly notable contributions: Mary Immaculate Catholic Church whose support put us over the top to make this project possible; Royal View Church for adopting us and donating, too; Lambton College where Thomas is a student for donating the laptop and a projector, Matantala for once again facilitating the work in Zambia, and Thomas' family in Zambia who gave selflessly to make up what we lacked.

So now we are back to the beginning. Our bank account is empty and we're starting over again to raise funds and develop partners so that we can once again use simple technology to improve the lives of people in the developing world. We'll keep you informed as the plans come together. Of course, we welcome your continuing support (a solar system in Africa makes a great Christmas present, don't you think, for those who have 'everything').

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration and inspiration.
~Evan Esar

Your GlobalLight Projects Team

Thomas, Wayde, Doug, Marilyn & Peter

July '11 Newsletter

In just over a month, Thomas will be returning to Zambia for this year's project. As we announced in the last newsletter, the purposes of this year's trip are to (1) install additional equipment at the Chona site, (2) provide training to the teachers in how to use the computers that we donated to enhance the students' educational experience and (3) to lay the groundwork for another installation.

We still intend to do all those things, but in consultation with Matantala, our Zambian development partner, the opportunity has presented itself to do a new installation in another village. Kasaka Basic School is near Chona in the Southern province of Zambia. The school has recently been refurbished by Matantala, but the village is well off the electrical grid. It would be great to provide the finishing touch by providing solar power. What a difference that makes!

To do this installation is quite a stretch from our original plans and we need additional funds to do it properly. Realistically, we need $3000 more than we presently have on hand. We are letting our friends know of the need, but more importantly, the opportunity to invest in the future of an African village that sadly, until now, most of the world has passed by.

It will be a full trip. We intend to install a video projector in Chona and provide educational videos to enhance the learning environment. Image what it will be like and the educational advantage it will give to see some of the great documentaries of our world that we all simply take for granted! And, as we noted previously, Thomas will be scouting out Mwanangonze village, west of Monze (the main town near Chona) for the purpose of a future installation in cooperation with our good friend Mabby Mwanangonze (Mabby will be raising funds for this project, so if some of the fundraising takes place near you, be sure to get involved).

We are so grateful to all those who have helped GlobalLight Projects get this far. But there is so much more to do. If you can help with this summer's project, we can assure you that all your funds will go directly to the Kasaka installation and change the future of an Zambian village. Funds need to be here by August 12 so that Thomas can take them with him. Gifts may be made online or by mailing a cheque made out to Royal View Church with the notation GlobalLight Projects to Wayde Foss, 4 McManus Pl., London, ON N5V 4X2. Donations over $10 will receive a tax deductible receipt. Thank you!

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
            ~Francis Bacon

Your GlobalLIght Projects Team
Thomas, Wayde, Peter, Marilyn & Doug

June '11 Newsletter

The GlobalLight Projects team (Thomas, Wayde, Doug, Marilyn and Peter) have been raising funds and exploring possibilities for projects in other areas. Since we announced the completion of the first phase of the Chona installation last summer there have been several inquires, both in Zambia and elsewhere.

Back to Zambia!

We are pleased to announce that Thomas will be returning to Zambia in mid-August. The purposes of this trip are to (1) install additional equipment at the Chona site, (2) provide training to the teachers in how to use the computers that we donated to enhance the students' educational experience and (3) to lay the groundwork for another installation.

In particular, Thomas intends to visit Mwanangonze village, also in southeast Zambia. This is the ancestral village of another Zambian-Canadian, Mabby Mwanangonze. Mabby has already raised funds to help with this summer's Chona project and intends to raise the funds for this new project. We are pleased to find others who are willing to work together with us to better the lives and educational outcomes of families in the developing world.

Getting the Word Out

We've had several occasions to present GlobalLight Projects to a wider public, including the Sarnia Arkwalk and the Green Energy, Agriculture and Bio-science Career Fair.

Thomas was recently featured in an article in The London Free Press focusing on his background, the vision for GlobalLight Projects and his appointment to the Mayor's Council on Sustainable Energy.

You Can Help

As we put together the final details of this summer's project, we can use your help! Your financial contribution will help Thomas have a successful trip. We need funds for Thomas' expenses while in Zambia and for supplies for the school. Gifts may be made online or by mailing a cheque made out to Royal View Church with the notation GlobalLight Projects to Wayde Foss, 4 McManus Pl., London, ON N5V 4X2. Donations over $10 will receive a tax deductible receipt. Thank you!

If you have  a question or comment Contact us.

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
                    ~ Harold R. McAlindon

Your GlobalLIght Projects Team
Thomas, Wayde, Peter, Marilyn & Doug