Solar lights provided to families of rag-pickers in Mangaluru

Reaching out to the neglected sections of society, social organisations Hasiru Dala and APD Foundation have installed essential indoor solar-lighting for 12 families of waste-pickers residing at Pachchanady in the city.

The project, that cost Rs 1.26 lakh, would benefit the poor families who had been living in the dark for many years, especially the school-going children.

The children in the families were having a tough time studying in the night without lights. Hasiru Dala and APD Foundation conceived the scheme after knowing about the difficulties being faced by the families.

Solar energy company SELCO India, an affiliate of SELCO Foundation, provided the solar lights at a subsidised cost. Local people and non-resident donors provided the balance funding for the project, which was completed on September 28, said Abdullah A Rehman, founder and CEO of APD Foundation, in a statement here.

“Waste-pickers play an important role in keeping the city clean and they are the ‘informal city beautifiers.’ By providing solar lighting, they can now live safely and their children can perform better in studies,” he said.