Last year before the pandemic, students in Mr. Dargis’s 7th grade Science class built solar suitcases as part of their STEM lessons. Thanks to a grant from the We Share Solar program, our students learned about solar energy, built the kits, tested them, and then eventually shipped them overseas. 7th graders worked in pairs to assemble each kit, and then two of those kits were shipped to Kenya via the We Share Solar Suitcases project. The remaining kits stay at NDA to be used for future classwork and hands on learning year after year. The two Solar Suitcases built by our NDA students were installed at schools in Muhuru Bay and Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya. Our students have been waiting patiently to see how their solar energy kits impacted two other school communities.
Due to the pandemic, the suitcases were delayed during transport and just recently arrived at their destinations! Before receiving these Solar Suitcases, students at these two different schools in Kenya had limited access to electricity and relied on generators and kerosene lanterns. The schools had no or limited access to electricity which impacted student learning and the times the students could study at the schools. With the addition of the Solar Suitcases to light the classrooms and offices, the students will have extended times to study and prepare for state examinations. The teachers will be able to prep for lessons for an extended time and charge their mobile devices without having to travel long distances. Attached is a thank you they wrote to our students for helping to light up education in Kenya, including several photos of our newly installed blue boxes literally providing light to an entire classroom.
We are grateful for this opportunity to learn and serve a community in need and we look forward to sending additional suitcases to other schools in the coming years!