300 Days of Sunshine
Light Up Solomon
Islands Future
— Islands of Light —
Donate now:
Light Up a Home, Choose Your Impact
Replace toxic kerosene with safe, sustainable light.
A gift of $195 covers the full cost of one solar kit, including shipping, taxes, and getting it to a family in a remote village.
Or, give any amount. We will combine your gift with others to deliver these life-changing kits. Together, we can light up the Solomon Islands, one family at a time.
A Proven Path for the Solomon Islands
Bringing the trans-formative gift of solar energy to off-grid communities.
Solar power is transforming the Pacific. In Papua New Guinea, a groundbreaking initiative successfully brought light and power to 1.6 million people in off-grid communities, replacing toxic kerosene lamps and fueling local businesses.
That same proven model is now here. Islands of Light is dedicated to replicating this success across the Solomon Islands, where families face the same harsh realities: children unable to study after dark, dangerous and expensive fuel costs, and isolation without power.
We are bringing this powerful solution home. Our mission is to provide hundreds of families with sustainable solar kits—delivering not just light, but also opportunity, safety, and connection.
We act as the catalyst and funder, providing the resources and oversight.
- We empower local implementation, partnering with trusted in-country churches and NGOs who manage distribution, training, and community support—ensuring cultural relevance and sustainable impact.
- We leverage technology, using robust solar kits to ensure accountability and effectiveness.
This model ensures that international support is seamlessly combined with local expertise for maximum impact.
Our Solution & Goal:
- Our solution is a robust, simple-to-use solar kit designed to last for years. Each unit provides bright LED light and phone charging, instantly improving health, safety, and opportunity.
- Our goal is ambitious but essential: to equip every off-grid home in the Solomon Islands. We are starting now with our first installations, driven by a vision to reach 100,000 households with the gift of light.
A Land of Contrast: Sunlight and Darkness
A nation blessed with over 300 days of sunshine, living in darkness.
Outside of Honiara, the capital, lives 90 percent of the Solomon Islands' population. Yet, only six percent of these households are connected to the national electricity grid.
Most families rely on costly, dangerous kerosene lamps and battery-operated lanterns. For a low-income family, this expense can consume a substantial portion of their income, trapping them in a cycle of energy poverty.
The Gift of Light.
The Power to Thrive.
— Islands of Light —
Our Model: Light Without Loans
At Islands of Light, we believe in empowering communities without burdening them with debt. We have seen the incredible, transformative difference solar power makes. A fundamental truth guides us: access to light unlocks human potential.
This is why our approach is fundamentally different. We do not provide microfinance loans. Instead, we provide high-quality solar kits free of cost to those who need them most.
Why We Chose a Different Path
We recognize the promise of solar energy but have seen the challenges of the microfinance model:
- The Promise: Solar energy transforms lives. It allows children to study after dark and enables entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, freeing them from the high cost and danger of kerosene.
- The Challenge: However, loan-based programs place a significant financial burden on low-income families. A loan of SBD $1,650 (over USD $200) is a heavy debt for a household to shoulder—money that could otherwise be used for food, school fees, or investing in their business. Furthermore, these programs can be undermined by an influx of cheaper, sub-standard solar products and other external factors, often failing to meet their goals.
We provide a sustainable, debt-free solution. We eliminate the financial burden so the gift of light becomes a true foundation for growth, not a chain of debt.
Light is not a dream.
It's a shared reality.
— Islands of Light —
Our Solution: Direct, Dignified Giving
We believe the most vulnerable families—those who would not qualify for a loan or for whom debt is too great a risk—deserve the same opportunity. Our model is simple:
- We Identify the Neediest: We partner with local leaders to find families for whom a microfinance loan is not a viable option.
- We Provide Quality Kits, Free of Charge: Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we provide high-quality, durable solar kits at no cost. This eliminates the risk of debt and ensures families receive products that will last for years, not cheap substitutes.
- We Empower Without Strings: We give families the tools to immediately improve their health, safety, and economic standing. The money they save on kerosene—SBD $60 (USD $7.73) a week, as Vicky noted—is theirs to keep and reinvest in food, school fees, or their own small businesses, creating a true and debt-free pathway to prosperity.
Your Future is Brighter
Than You Think.
— Islands of Light —
A Land of Contrast: Sunlight and Darkness
Beyond the capital of Honiara, home to 90% of the population, a mere 6% of households are connected to the electrical grid. The majority rely on expensive, dangerous kerosene lamps—a cost that consumes a crippling portion of a family's income.
This is the paradox: a nation blessed with over 300 days of sunshine living in darkness.
We are resolving this contradiction. Your support helps us harness this abundant, natural resource to deliver sustainable solar power to off-grid families. This replaces costly darkness with free, clean light, unlocking safety, opportunity, and growth for entire communities.
Turn sunlight
into hope.
— Islands of Light —