2. “Light for Education”
A Brighter Future for Students in India
Background
Right to Education is the primary right of every citizen of India, whether a child resides in a high profile society or in
a far away not so developed secluded village. Schools in rural areas are promoted to raise the level of education
and literacy in rural India. According to Just Indian Schools the conditions of rural education in India, is improving
steadily and the government is also providing full support and providing with many initiatives. The fee structure in
these schools is also very low so that every child can study and afford it.
Children have to walk miles to reach their school. Rural schools pay special attention to children in these locations
so that each child gets an equal and important opportunity:
A) They promote reading and writing and enhanced basic education.
B) They provide study material to every student.
C) These schools also provide meals during school hours, uniforms etc.
D) They implement library system, which provide books, newspapers & magazine to children.
E) They provide science kits and equipment for hands-on-learning.
F) They also give scholarships to deserving students regularly, who wish to study ahead.
BUT they do not provide light for studying in the night during frequent power cuts
Every child between the ages of 6 and 14 years has the right to free and compulsory education, as per RTE
Act 2009. This act seems incomplete without the presence of clean & bright light which most of the
students in India do not have. Tomaximize their potential , students must study to excel in today's
education system. Light is the single largest barrier to studying. Lack of light is an urgent and preventable
education problem, yet never before has there been a viable solution. Until now!
d.light has partnered with
UP Govt schools to create the
“Light for Education” campaign
across the state
Light for Education
4. d.light energy is an Indian consumer products company
serving people without access to reliable electricity.
Today, d.light serves customers in multiple states
around the country and has impacted the life of
lacs of people though solar lighting products.
A Brighter Future
d.light Introduction
Highlights Our Mission
We are a new Social We aim to enable households without reliable electricity to attain the same
Enterprise focused on quality of life as those with electricity. We will begin by replacing every kerosene
impacting lives at the
lantern with clean, safe and bright light. Our goal is to impact 100 million lives by
Bottom of Pyramid
the end of 2020.
We are high growth company
financed by Draper Fisher
Jurvetson, Garage Technology
Ventures, Mahindra Group,
Nexus Venture Partners,
Acumen Fund, Gray Matters
Capital and Omidyar Network.
We currently offer portable
solar lighting products that
are built on the 4 pillars viz.
Design, Technology,
Affordability and Durability.
s
We have high volume ive
c+L d
production capacity with La he
10 touc
rigorous testing procedures to
create world-class products. d.light Offices d.light Sales
We use world-class design
principles to increase Our Customers
affordability of our products In India over 125 million people who live with un-reliable access to electricity
globally without compromising Currently, kerosene is their primary source of lighting.
on quality.
We regularly conduct in-depth Our Partners
research and understand We take pride in our partners and work along with
consumer needs to build and them to ensure success at every end. Our key
adapt our products. partners include, FINO, Bharat Petroleum, Educomp
wind energy major Suzlon, World Vision,
We work closely with our
SKS Microfinance, Shell Foundation, Dharma
alliance partners to ensure
last mile reach of our products. network, ITC e-Choupal, SEWA network etc.
5. Benefits of d.light solar lighting
Millions of households in India, do not have access to reliable electricity. These households use
dangerous, dim, smoky kerosene lanterns to complete their daily work like studying, cooking, and
other household tasks. Our products improve the quality of life in many important ways:
Improve Improve Improve Improve
Education Productivity Savings Health
Children of all ages, Household Customers save d.light is safe and
study better and for productivity and money on kerosene improves health from
longer periods with income increases as consumption and reduced indoor air
solar light d.light enables extra time on kerosene pollution (IAP).
-A scientific study1
hours of light purchase.
everyday. d.light offers free - A high profile example
conducted in Gujarat
last year occurred in
found that theaverage light everyday.
Tanzania when 12 female
studyhours increased -88% of d.light customers
secondary students were
from 1.47 hours to 2.71 surveyed3cited - 27% of the customers burned to death in a
hoursper day (84.3% additional income reported ZERO liters of dormitory after one
increase). generation with the help kerosene usage post student's mosquito net
-Another Study2done in of d.light products. d.light, while 62% caught fire as she
Rajasthan indicates the reported decrease in accidently dozed off while
average study hours kerosene consumption studying.
increased to 1.5 hours upto 1 litre per month
per day 4
since d.light purchase.
1 Agoramoorthy, Govindasamy and Hsu, Minna (2009); Lighting the Lives of the Impoverished in India's Rural & Tribal Drylands; Human Ecology
2 Madan, Dave & Singh, Kartikeya (2007). "Rural Solar Lighting Assessment". p. 1-12 Dabkan, Rajasthan in 2009
3 Income boosting activities include less kerosene, longer work hours and field work Source: SKS customer survey (Customer N = 392)
4 d.research data base, Oct 2009 (Internal research & evaluation team)
6. d.light Quality Assurance
Our Commitment to Quality
d.light integrates Quality throughout every stage of our product design,
production, shipping and delivery:
Recognitions
Our design teams make sure our products can withstand tough
Ashden Awards for
Sustainable Energy - Gold and rugged conditions including environments with extreme
Award 2010
heat, humidity, dust, rain , and impact from accidental drops or
The BBC revealed their
selection of a solar-powered
rough transportation conditions.
lamp and charger (D.LIGHT
S200) as the 100th object in
Our products undertake severe stress testing in these
their highly successful radio
series.
conditions to simulate potential customer environments
Best Consumer Product
All our factories and suppliers undergo regular audits to ensure
Design - The Kiran, Design
Week Awards 2010
compliance with d.light's quality, labor and environmental
standards
Social Venture Network We also carry out regular and rigorous quality reviews, with a
Innovation Award
commitment to achieve above industry average pass rates in
mass production. This allows our team of Quality Engineers to
ensure every shipment is of excellent quality.
Global Cleantech 100 List in
2009 & 2010
Our products have passed a variety of certification standards listed
GoingGreen Top 100
below, as well as CE certification:
IEC 60598-2-4
IEC 60598-1: 2003 +AMD1
Global 250 List
IEC 61347-2-13: 2006
IEC 61347-1: 2007
Nigeria - SONCAP
Kenya - PVoC
“Our defect rate has been less than 0.3% till date.”
8. d.light S1: Introduction
The Ultra-Affordable Light for Ambitious Students
P
MR 9
9
`3
d.light S1 is a high-brightness solar LED light combining a very attractive price point with a
functional design, which strengthens d.light ’s tradition of quality and durability.
d.light S1 can be charged in one day with its integrated solar panel, or in a few hours
through an AC adaptor. Its chrome-plated handle allows d.light S1 to easily orient
towards the sun during the day, and to point its direct light as your eyes require at night,
making it the perfect solution for studying and reading.
11. Proof of Concept - the pilot process
Purpose: Education is the key to individual and community growth. Without access to light, hundreds of millions of
students across India are unable to realize their full potential. Light is the single largest barrier to studying. d.light &
UP Govt Schools have completed a pilot for a high-quality, clean, bright, affordable solar study light, d.light S1 with the
students in UP Govt Schools to understand the demand and potential and to improve their ability to perform in school.
Pilot Terms: d.light did a pilot to test the d.light s1 solar light in 4 schools in UP. Purpose of the pilot was to test the
demand & usage of S1 lights among students in government schools. If the students demonstrated a strong liking for
the product, through purchase or intent to purchase, the pilot would be scaled up for a nation-wide rollout. The aim
was to improve education in India by increasing the productivity of students and teachers. Students were provided
d.light S1 free of cost to use for preparation of their Final Exams. Students, Teachers & Headmasters were personally
explained the purpose of the pilot, benefit of solar lights, and a live demonstration was conducted to showcase the
best use of lights. Students were strictly advised to either return or purchase the lights after the exams when admit
cards would be collected. Impact and demand for the lights was measured to determine the value of a nationwide
“Light for Education” campaign.
Process:
1. 4 schools for Class 8 & 10 were identified for the pilot based on electrification status and willingness to
participate in the lighting project.
2. d.light educated, demonstrated, and distributed the lights to all Class 8 & 10 students (lights delivered to
each school location)
3. d.light seeded other models of solar lanterns (d.light S10 & S200) to all class teachers and Headmasters for
their cooperation and their benefit
4. d.light recorded the data of each student participating in the project
5. d.light periodically monitored the usage of the lights and was available for any questions and feedback
a. d.light employed one person full time to work in the pilot locations
b. Feedback on Excitement, Usage, Number of Hours, and other users of the lights were taken
6. d.light conducted a detailed sample study (40 nos student households) about the performance of d.light S1
and its impact on kids education
7. Between May-June 2011, students either returned the lights to the Headmaster or purchased the lights
8. Students feedback was recorded and presented with videos
9. Data from the pilot is compiled and presented by d.light
d.light S1 d.light S1
Quantities Quantities for
S.N. District
for Class viii Class x
Schools students students
1 Deoria 80 144
2 Aurriya 85 135
3 Pilibhit 75 123
4 Lakhimpur 95 312
335 714
14. The Pilot Results
Students who bought the light*
8% 13% 2% 4%
3% 9%
7%
16%
Returned the light
81% Intent to buy light
61% 58% 89% Bought the light
* excludes students
which are not reachable
Aurriya (220) Deoria (224) Pilibhit(198) Lakhimpur
Area (No. of Lights distributed) (407)
Hypothesis of the pilot:
“Pilot will be termed as success, If after the exams >50% students of Class VIII & Class X have a liking for the product and
instead of returning the light they opt for buying the light in cash. This also includes students who wish to purchase but
do not have ample money to buy the product”
Result of the Pilot:
The maiden education pilot was super successful in all the four districts of Uttar Pradesh. The above graph portrays
that an average 75% of the students bought light and gave the cash to the collecting authorities. An additional 8% of
the students despite liking the product couldn’t buy the light to shortage of money. While the rest (not shown in the
graph) are the students which are not reachable )
a) There is a BIG demand of lights around the school area as stated by the school staff, school peons, adjacent
retailers, student parents etc.
b) Other students of the school were also very keen to purchase the lights as reported by the school staff
The success of this pilot can be attributed to tremendous support and enthusiasm displayed by all the
Government Schools, and wards of each students.
15. The Pilot Results
Performance in the Final Exams [150 students surveyed]
Results Current Year (CY)
100% LY = Last Year
Results Last Year (LY)
LY 1st Div CY = Current Year
(9 Students
scored)
35%
57%
LY 2nd Div
(23 Students 4%
scored) 4%
10%
LY Just Pass 52%
(113 Students 23%
scored) 15%
40%
LY Fail
(5 Students 20%
scored) 40%
CY 1st Div CY 2nd Div CY Just Pass CY Fail
There was a significant increase in students results this year and most of the parents attribute this success to d.light
S1. Above mentioned graph highlights the following performance
a) 35%students who received 2nd division last year, improved their grades and scored 1st div
b) More than 60% students improved their grades who last year just managed to pass their exams.
c) An equivalent 60% students scored good marks after being failed in exams during last year.
These results are clear indications of the use and benefit of d.light S1 for the students community in the un-reliable
Grid areas. Nearly all the parents who had either returned the light or have not bought it, post exam results have
shown their inclination towards buying the light. Here are some of the verbatim:
“I return the light because I have no money but I really like the like.”
“Without light no one reads seriously, so full credit goes to d.light, I want to purchase one more S1.”
“I can read at any time with this light”
“This is a new system, so children love this product”
16. Other Key Results from Pilot
Increase in Study time due to d.light : Increase in study hours due to d.light
57%
Students of Class X & VII, during the preparation
period, revealed* that there is an average increase in
study hours of 2-3 Hours because of d.light S1.
Students who earlier use to study in the twilight due
to absence of gird said that they are very happy with
d.light S1, as it enables them to study inside their 21%
19%
homes and also during the night.
*Based on the telephonic survey of 250+ students
1-2 Hr 2-3 Hr 3-4 Hr
Perception of d.light S1 by parents:
All the parents were very pleased to receive the
light from the school and post exams shared
following statements:
a) My son now studies very hard because of d.light but
I have seen him taking larger responsibilities in the
house
b) Ever since my child has got this light he keeps it
always close to him. I feel this light is his best friend
c) Ever since my son got this light his time to study has
increased considerably and he now study from 8 PM-
10 PM and in the morning from 4 AM to 6 AM.
17. Other Key Results from Pilot
Changes in Students behavior :
Students when contacted along with their wards
“Studious”
greeted us very well. Their wards were very pleased
with d.light S1, as it was instrumental in changing
their children’s behavior. “Maturity”
Many parents reported* marked changes in their
children’s- discipline towards studying hours,
maturity levels, responsiveness towards household
tasks etc.
The teachers of few school also recalled a change in
the response time from the students who had “Discipline”
receive d.light S1.
*Based on the Personal Interviews
18. Success Testimonials
The Solar light given by d.light and Educomp to my students is
equivalent to a “Eye Donation” as their eyes will be protected
from the dirt and pollution of Kerosene Lanterns. I want this light
to be made available for purchase for all the students.
Principal, Govt Inter College, Khampur Tola, Deoria
The local demand for this light is huge. Everyone from in and
around school area comes to us as ask where can they purchase
this light in the market?
Class Teacher, Govt Inter College, Dulhapur Kisan, Lakhimpur
Students are very pleased with this light. They are regularly
using this light for study.
I honestly feel that “with d.light their future is Bright”
Computer Faculty, Govt Inter College, Khampur Tola, Deoria
My child is studying more as compared to the past. She is very
happy with the performance.
I now feel the the burden of Kerosene Oil has completely
reduced after my daughter got this d.light S1.
Parent of girl child, Govt Inter College, Deoria
19. LETS JOIN HANDS
and wear our mission
“Light for Education[LiFE]”
on our sleeves
![Light for Education [LiFE]
Project Report
a d.light Initiative](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/20110727lifelr-110928233226-phpapp02/85/light-for-education-1-320.jpg)
