It was Christmas Eve, and the lights came back on for five hundred students in Haiti.

Several months ago, SELF received an urgent plea. A K-12 residential school in Haiti needed a new solar battery bank, and their students’ safety depended on it.

Haiti continues to experience extreme violence and disorder. Crime and kidnappings are commonplace, and women and girls bear the brunt of escalating gender-based violence. SELF’s partner school provides a safe haven for its students and the local community. The school’s solar-electric system fills a vital need—powering lights, phone charging, and clean water pumping. 

With this electricity, students could use computers and digital tools during the day. Community members could charge cell phones. No one had to worry about accessing a clean drink of water. And, crucially, the dark nights were amply lit. The school’s principial says that the only reason her school has been spared from Haiti’s horrific violence is that they have had solar-powered lights, which act as a deterrent to crime.

When the system’s battery bank began to fail, however, these resources—and the community’s safety—were in jeopardy.

But thanks to your generosity, the school now has a new battery bank. Students, staff, and community members can count on this life-saving power that you made possible.

From SELF and our partners in Haiti, we wholeheartedly thank you for shining a light for these kids.