Better Health, More Study Time and Financial Growth: How Lumos Impacts Everyday Lives

Whereas for some, having access to electricity is a given, for others, clean, affordable and reliable power is a daily struggle, with 1 billion people in Africa living with poor or no access to the electricity grid. This is the mission we’re here for. Lumos has been helping, and continues to help, communities in West Africa to live in better conditions. 

Where every life crossroad requires electricity, Lumos is there for the big and the small moments. From helping parents support their families to small and medium business owners to increase their activity, Lumos accompanies our customers on every step of the way. 

Better Health Conditions

While most generators produce dangerous fumes which are harmful to people’s health, Lumos’ Solar Home Systems provide clean energy which reduces exposure to toxic particles in the air. 

Djêmondé shared his experience with us after winning a competition on social media around how Lumos changes lives for the better. In the case of Djêmondé’s family from Côte d’Ivoire, his sister went to a relative’s house in a village to give birth, which did not have access to the electricity grid. Had there not been Lumos set up in the house, it would have been very complicated as they would have had to rely on a fuel generator. Thanks to Lumos, Djêmondé’s sister was able to give birth at home where everything went well before continuing on to the hospital.

Safety to Study at Home

Children should be able to study in the safety of their own homes. In the case of schoolgirl Fathia Dele in Nigeria, she went to an ATM alone to use its illumination so she could do her homework. Every time the schoolgirl left her home to do her homework at night, she was putting her safety at risk. Lumos allows families like Fathia Dele’s to have reliable access to electricity without the pressure of power cuts.

When children do their homework in a house with a generator, the fumes they are exposed to quite often hurt their eyes, cause burning sensations and are dangerous for them to breathe in. Odumosu told us about their family’s experience with Lumos after submitting their answer to one of our social media competitions. For Odumosu’s family, the kids “see light to do their assignments and after that watch cartoons. Getting the kids dressed in the morning for school has also been easy for my wife since I started using Lumos.” Additionally, parents reported that their children were able to study for close to 20 minutes extra each day thanks to better light.

Increased Savings 

With almost half the population, 85M people, living out of reach of the grid, Nigeria has the largest absolute electrification deficit in the world. However, households are still left shelling out important amounts on power and energy for their homes. Stéphane in Côte d’Ivoire let us know on social media that he appreciates the fact that he decides how much power he uses in relation to his budget. Whether it’s choosing which appliance to connect and for how long, Lumos’ energy conservation system enables people like Stéphane to regulate and control how much power they use.

Economic Activity Growth

With unreliable or no access at all to the grid, many small and medium businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa, are forced to stop working once night falls. For women and business owners like Doris, relying on the grid means an unreliable working day. “There are times when I’m working into the night and the NEPA goes and then I have to stop work.” With Lumos, small and medium businesses can set their own hours, work at their own pace and at the times that are convenient for them. 

From improving health to providing safer access to study and from increasing savings to enabling growth, Lumos helps those with unstable or no access to the grid to replace the hazardous and expensive fuel with solar light, bringing a series of positive impacts on their everyday lives.