day and powers an LED light at night. Additionally, the bags include a USB port, allowing children to charge mobile phones, which can be used for communication, accessing educational content, and staying connected with family members.
The impact of Somabags has been substantial. Children who once struggled to study after dark can now read comfortably at night, leading to improved academic performance and increased confidence. Families benefit from reduced spending on kerosene, while children enjoy safer and healthier study environments. The initiative has also created economic opportunities, employing over 85 people and achieving a production capacity of 6,000 bags per month, against a growing demand of 13,500 bags. Supported by the UNDP’ s Funguo Innovation Programme, funded by the European Union and the UK Government, Somabags demonstrates how collaboration between innovators and development partners can produce scalable, sustainable solutions.
Beyond education, Somabags contributes to environmental conservation by repurposing up to 200,000 cement sacks each month that would otherwise become street litter. The company has further diversified its products to include safari bags for export markets, showing how a social enterprise can balance impact, sustainability, and profitability.
Portable solar tents engineered by Ugandan students
In Uganda, innovation has taken another remarkable form through the creation of solar-powered tents that fold neatly into backpacks. Designed by a group of students, these solar tents were inspired by the realities faced by street families, refugees, and displaced communities who lack stable housing and basic amenities. These tents are not merely shelters; they are lifelines that provide light, security, and dignity.
Each unit unfolds into a waterproof dome with flexible solar panels stitched directly into the fabric. During the day, the panels absorb sunlight, storing enough energy to power a built-in LED light and a small USB charging port. At night, the tent emits a gentle glow, offering visibility, safety, and a sense of personal space. For individuals who live without permanent shelter, this light can make the difference between vulnerability and security.
Portability is the core strength of this innovation. When folded, the tent compresses into a lightweight backpack with straps, making it easy to carry while on the move. There are no bulky frames or additional components just a simple, functional design that meets urgent needs. The students used recycled plastic fabric and sourced flexible solar film locally, keeping production costs low and ensuring ethical sourcing.
Some of these solar tents are now being distributed through humanitarian organizations across East Africa, particularly in areas affected by climate disasters, forced evictions, and conflictrelated displacement. This Ugandan invention demonstrates that empathy can be engineered and that meaningful solutions often emerge when creativity meets compassion. A backpack, a roof, and a light together offer not just shelter, but hope.
SeatPacks and education in neglected classrooms
Across East Africa, more than 10 million rural and refugee children aged 6 to 15 study in neglected classrooms that lack basic furniture and electricity. In Uganda alone, only about 1 % of schools are connected to the power grid, while the cost of wooden classroom furniture averages around $ 100 per desk, making it unaffordable for many schools. These conditions discourage school attendance and completion, undermining learning outcomes and limiting future economic opportunities for both boys and girls.
Zetu Foundation addresses this challenge through the delivery of SeatPacks which are solar-powered school bags that transform into bamboo classroom chairs with writing surfaces. During school hours, the SeatPack functions as furniture, enabling children to sit comfortably and write. At home, it becomes a rechargeable solar lighting kit that supports studying after sunset.
SeatPacks are designed to support rural and refugee children for up to five years of daily use. They also include a menstrual storage toolkit for adolescent girls, addressing gender-specific barriers to education and promoting dignity and school retention. By combining seating, lighting, and storage into one durable product, SeatPacks tackle multiple challenges simultaneously, demonstrating how integrated design can improve educational access and equity.
Solar backpacks promote recycling and improve education
According to the International Energy Agency, over 600 million people in Africa lack access to electricity, most of them in sub-Saharan countries. In Botswana, for instance, only 72 % of the population has access to the national grid. As a result, many families rely on kerosene lamps, which are expensive, inefficient, and hazardous. Some households choose to go to bed early simply because they cannot afford lighting.
Kedumetse Liphi, a 34-year-old electrical engineer from Botswana, was inspired to act after meeting a student who carried books in a rice bag. This encounter led him to develop the Chedza solar backpack through his enterprise, Ked-LiphiBw. The waterproof canvas backpack integrates a solar panel that charges during the day and powers an LED light for up to seven hours at night. It can also charge smartphones and tablets, enabling access to educational content and the internet.
Similarly, in South Africa, social entrepreneur Thato Kgatlhanye founded Rethaka and developed Repurpose Schoolbags while still a university student. Made from recycled plastic bags, these backpacks address environmental waste while providing solar-powered lighting for children without electricity at home. By reducing reliance on kerosene, they help prevent accidents and illnesses. The initiative has gained international recognition, proving that youth-led innovation can drive meaningful change.
Solar-charging backpacks and related innovations are doing far more than providing light; they are restoring dignity, improving health, protecting the environment, and expanding educational opportunity for children in remote areas. These solutions show that when technology is designed with empathy and local context in mind, it can address multiple challenges at once.
Governments, development partners, private sector actors, and communities must invest in and scale such innovations to ensure that no child’ s education ends at sunset. Access to light is access to learning, and access to learning is the foundation of sustainable development. By supporting solar-powered educational tools, the world can take a decisive step toward educational equity- one backpack, one light, and one child at a time.
Christine Nyandat is a seasoned insurance professional. You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail on: Nyandatc @ yahoo. com.