Aluwaine Tanaka Manyonga created the Chigubhu Lantern, a solar-powered LED light from recycled waste
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00:00 [ Music ]
00:02 >> The thing that inspired me on this journey was the issue of access to lighting.
00:07 When you go to the rural areas, people do not have electricity.
00:12 But during the night, people want to do their homework.
00:15 They do not have any source of light that they can use.
00:18 At one point I was a student and I remember very well I was using a candle for me to study.
00:24 Right now I've bought a solution and the students are loving the solution.
00:31 My name is Aluente Anagama Nyong'a.
00:33 I'm the developer of the Chigubu Lantern.
00:35 [ Music ]
00:43 Chigubu Lantern is a solar-powered LED lantern that is made from electronic waste and housed in plastic waste portals.
00:51 Chigubu means plastic waste portal in Shona, a Zimbabwean language.
00:55 This journey started in 2018.
00:58 I remember at home we had a lot of LED lanterns that were no longer functional.
01:02 And my parents wanted to dump those lights.
01:05 Using the basics of electronics that I learned at school, I managed to fix those lights.
01:10 It really helped me a lot in my studies.
01:13 While I was using the light, I thought of the students who were in rural areas.
01:17 60% of the rural population in Zimbabwe didn't have any type of electricity.
01:23 So that's when I started trying different plastic waste portals, trying different types of electronic waste.
01:29 And I came up with different versions of lights that I could make using the same concept.
01:34 The process of making the Chigubu Lantern involves various stages.
01:39 For the collection, we are working with waste recyclers and people who just collect waste.
01:44 Most of the plastic waste portals will usually be dirty.
01:47 So we then clean those plastic waste portals.
01:51 And after cleaning, we do some cutting to fit in the components.
01:55 Then for the LED lights, we also do a collection.
01:58 We usually collect them from office spaces, even from homeowners.
02:03 Then we do some processing where we test those chips.
02:07 And we reassemble the circuits for the LED lights.
02:12 Then we do the assembling of the whole lantern after everything is in place.
02:18 To date, we have managed to distribute over 1,000 lanterns.
02:21 We have managed to transform a total of 2,000 plastic waste portals into these LED lights.
02:29 Then also we have reused over 12,000 LED chips.
02:33 Lanterns are solar-powered, so for the charging of the Chigubu Lantern alone,
02:37 we have deployed over 2,000 watts of solar power, which reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
02:43 And it can help us save our environment.
02:47 The Chigubu Lantern concept is mainly centered around the education sector.
02:51 The first thing is improving access to lighting.
02:54 Then the second one is to bring more awareness on issues to do with climate change.
02:59 During the training, we train the students on things to do with waste management, reducing, reusing, and recycling waste.
03:07 The training session also covers the basics of electricity, and we talk about renewable energy.
03:14 And at the end of the lesson, every student will be able to make their own light, a light that is more sustainable and reliable.
03:22 [Speaking in Chigubu Language]
03:47 This Chigubu Lantern came as a blessing to our students.
03:53 They are now using it to do their homework, and also it is motivating them to do their studies and to read.
04:05 And also teachers have testified that there is an improvement in the quality of work.
04:16 Chigubu Lantern has a very positive impact on the children. It's very helpful to them.
04:24 What inspires me the most is the fact that I managed to build a solution that's actually being used by people, especially students.
04:34 When I'm doing a training, then you see the students actually turning on those lights.
04:40 It's something that ignites a flame in me and keeps me going on this journey.
04:45 Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.
04:50 I believe if every child gets access to high-quality education, we can transform their lives and we can have an equal environment for everyone.
05:01 And if everyone is educated, I believe there's potential for change in our communities and as a country.
05:10 My hope for the future is that every student should have access to reliable and sustainable lighting.
05:17 And we believe we can achieve this through our sustainable skills transfer, through reusing waste, and through using sustainable technologies and renewable energy.
05:27 My advice for other eco-entrepreneurs is that you just need to start.
05:33 I just started doing this out of fun, but I realized that it had a lot of potential.
05:39 When we look at the whole climate space, I think it has a lot of opportunities, especially for us as young people.
05:46 So if you have any solution, just start. And on the journey, you always try to figure out what you're supposed to do.
05:52 [Music]
06:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]