Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya donated 2,150 autonomous solar-powered lanterns with a charging base function to civilians affected by the war in Kherson, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv regions… This is part of a humanitarian program initiated and materially and technically supported by our partners from the organization "Electricians without borders". 

We received the first batch of these lanterns some time ago, and they proved their functionality during the blackout. However, war brings constant challenges. As soon as we overcome one problem, another one appears, and some problems never went away, they were simply lost in the flood of daily risks. This means that the need for autonomous lanterns remains relevant to this day. For example, in May, we received a request from the Antonivka Starostat in Kherson:

"Due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the russian federation and the ecological disaster caused by the russian federation's destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Antonivka Starostat of Kherson is appealing to you for humanitarian aid. Antonivka is under constant shelling by russian troops. The village is being shelled with artillery, attacked with guided bomb, and particularly dangerous round-the-clock attacks with drones. The biggest problem is the lack of electricity and gas supply. There is no electricity in the village, and only partial water and gas supply. Shops and pharmacies are not working. There is no transport connection with the city. At the same time, about 600 people remain in the settlement, including about 30 citizens with limited mobility and about 400 elderly people. To support the local population, there is an urgent need for solar-powered lanterns".

When the lighting devices were delivered, local residents said that these devices were pretty much the only way to charge their phones and stay connected. Similarly, constant power outages necessitate the use of autonomous lamps, both in homes and shelters. This situation is not unique to the Kherson region, as problems with the power grid exist in virtually all frontline and border settlements in the east, south, and north of the country.

Since the beginning of the full-scale russian-Ukrainian war, the Medical Aid Committee in Zakarpattya has been working to strengthen socially important infrastructure with additional energy sources. When it came to hospitals, social institutions, educational institutions, and points of invincibility, generators helped, while individual households, especially those with many children, elderly citizens, and people with disabilities, were supported by technical means such as autonomous lamps with a built-in slot for charging devices. Of course, this does not solve the problem completely, as there are still large household appliances that require a fully functioning power grid, but offering at least local solutions that will make people’s lives easier is something we can do together.