Beneficiaries: Rawang
Status: Completed 
Date: Aug-Dec 2020

2.3 million household and around 24,000 sitios (small communities) remain without electricity, according to National Electrification Administration (NEA). Most of these communities are those that are marginalized, rural, remote or islanded. 

SOLAR Hope, an NGO that provides solar and sustainable solutions to marginalized communities in the Philippines, adopted 3 communities since 2017.  

One of its adopted communities is Rawang Community located in Brgy. Tandang Kutyo, Tanay, Rizal. It is a home to more than 200 families that are dependent on using car batteries, kerosene lamps or candles just for lighting. In 2018, SOLAR Hope was introduced to the community through a Facebook message from the former principal of Rawang Elementary School. Since then, various initiatives have been done to help the community. 

Year 2020 has been a very challenging to all of us and the marginalized communities are one of the most affected. Many people lost their jobs, students are now into distance learning or blended learning, and many families also lost their loved ones. But all these challenges did not hinder different individuals and organizations to reach out to those in need.  

Project Tanglaw is our electrification project that aims to light homes through solar that would help improve their quality of life. In 2019, we were able to light 69 homes with solar lanterns through Project Tanglaw Batch 1. This 2020, to help families cope with the pandemic and help in the distance learning, we were able to light 170 homes with solar home systems by launching Project Tanglaw Batch 2 through partnership with ATECo, Rawang ES and Ingram Micro. 

The provided solar home systems are Sunking Home 60. Its specifications are:  

• Manufactured by Greenlight Planet 
• 6Wp Polycrystalline Solar Panel 
• 12V, 6,000mAh, Lithium Ferro-Phosphate (LFP) battery 
• 100 lumens with different intensities 
• 3 Ceiling-mounted fixes lamps  
• Mobile Charging 
• Up to 24 hours of run time on a day’s charge 
• 2 year warranty 
• Cost: P5,000/unit 

The provided lamp not only lighted Sitio Rawang but also its 5 nearby communities (Sitio Calinawan, Sitio Riles, Sitio Paglitaw, Sitio Macantog, Sitio Rear Gate). The whole community now has access to energy.