It’s not easy to be a mother in sub-Saharan Africa. As Mother’s Day approaches on Sunday, we’re thinking about the struggles mothers face and how appreciative we are of the work they do.

Imagine if your newborn’s first breath was of the smoke from a kerosene lamp. Imagine if there were no vaccines to protect your children from preventable diseases. Imagine if you needed to walk 45 minutes just to scoop muddy water into jugs to carry home for your family.

Whether it’s providing clinics with electricity to offer 24-hour care under safe and sanitary conditions, donating refrigerators to store vaccines, or installing water pumps to give thousands direct access to clean water directly in their villages, our work both impacts and saves the lives of mothers and their children.

Jewish Heart for Africa honors all mothers, near and far. We remain committed to our work to help rural Africans live safer and healthier lives.

Happy Mother’s Day from Jewish Heart for Africa.

To each and every one of you who made this day possible:

I write to you having just returned from Africa. It was less than a week ago that I stood at Sapiri Medical Center, watching as the solar panels were mounted on their roof.

The day began with a visit to the local government office of Budaka District, the area in which Sapiri is located. We met with the District Health Officer (DHO) and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to share our work and plans with them. While our Ugandan Project Managers know them well, it was my first time meeting them, and we sat for nearly an hour discussing our existing projects and expansion plans. The DHO and several members of his staff then traveled with us to Sapiri to meet with the people of the community.

As soon as we arrived, the ceremonies started. In attendance were the full staff of the Health Center, local chiefs, the government officials as well as lay leaders who have volunteered to be involved. Our project managers had already worked with the community to elect a solar committee who will be responsible for the system’s maintenance and sustainability.

Everyone made speeches, thanking us for the solar, promising to maintain the system, explaining that they had already opened a bank account in which to deposit funds from the micro business we are giving them: a solar cell phone charging station, the profits from which will help them replace light bulbs, batteries and perform system repairs.

The best speech came from a village lay leader. He stood up and addressed the local government, saying in his local language (Luganda) that he was worried about the capacity of the clinic. What if, because of the light, more patients come in at night than they can handle? What if they run out of beds for their patients, or overextend their staff by increasing the number of visits each night? He asked the government to match Jewish Heart for Africa’s gift, to improve the capacity of the clinic to support more patients.

The government officials responded that if the system is maintained well, they will do everything in their power to improve the quality of care the clinic is able to offer.

The DHO (District Health Officer) then stood up and challenged the community in return, announcing he’d seen failed solar projects across the country implemented by the government and non-profit organizations. He explained that few account for the sustainability of the system, and that none offer income generating activities to allow the facility’s solar system to become self-sustaining. He told the community that they are lucky to work with an organization like Jewish Heart for Africa, and that they have an opportunity to serve as an example to other communities as to how solar can be sustainable. The DHO then announced that the government will follow in our example, learning from our methods and using Sapiri as a model to show other organizations, encouraging everyone to think more sustainably and holistically about development work.

When the meeting ended, we went outside to watch the end of the installation.

That’s when we met Eunice.

Eunice is a nurse at the facility. She was born just a few minutes away from the Health Center, and has lived in Sapiri her whole life. She always dreamed of being a nurse, and is proud of her profession, but for years she’s been frustrated. She lives at the health center, she is there 24 hours a day. But she has never been able to offer proper care at night. She struggled each night with treating patients by candlelight and kerosene lamps. She heard stories from members of her own community of those seeking urgent care in the evening who couldn’t find the clinic at in the dark. The services she was trained to offer the members of her village were wasted after sunset, all because she had no light.

Eunice was literally glowing when she turned on the lights we installed in her home. Its important not only to power the clinic itself, but the staff quarters as well. These are people who work 24 hours daily for their own community, but could never even charge their cell phones, or read a book after a long day.

We asked Eunice what she would do with her first night of solar energy.

“Read my Bible,” she answered, smiling.

But Eunice wouldn’t have much time to read that night. Before we left, a pregnant woman arrived experiencing contractions. Eunice and the other nurses came out to examine her, and told us the baby would likely be born by midnight, the first child ever in Sapiri Village to be born under the lights of solar energy.

We could have stayed there all night, in fact we would have, but the staff was busy. The time for celebrations, photos and interviews were over. There were patients to treat. There was work to be done.

By 9pm, we left Sapiri. Leaving the facility, we were enveloped by darkness. On all sides, it was pitch black–you could hardly see your own hands in front of you. There was no light in any direction but that of Sapiri Health Center, a beacon of light and hope for the 7,890 members of their community, visible and accessible for miles around.

Sapiri was made possible thanks to our first ever crowd funding campaign. Every one of you–whether you gave $1 or $100, or even just helped spread the word–made this possible. There is a brighter future for the people of Sapiri, and its all because of you.

From all of us and all the people of Sapiri:

THANK YOU.

By Emma Goldman, JHA volunteer

As I ran down the steps of the Lorimer subway station on a muggy August day this past summer, I frantically reviewed the facts I had attempted to memorize on my subway ride to Brooklyn. 1.4 billion people live without electricity; For just $20, you can give an African person electricity for life; More than 75,000 children have received life-saving vaccines stored in our solar powered refrigerators.

I was on my way to film the first ever Jewish Heart for Africa volunteer video at Studio 80 in Brooklyn. I had agreed to participate while at a past volunteer meeting, and was starting to feel butterflies in my stomach as I approached Studio 80’s big black door. The scene inside was unbelievable. Run entirely by volunteers, there was a professional film crew, bright lights, a makeup and hair station, refreshments, extra fact sheets, and a palpable energy and excitement buzzing in the room. I watched my fellow volunteers talking into the camera with ease. You can do this I attempted to convince myself.

As I sat at the makeup station looking at the astounding statistics that had been provided for me, my fears melted away as I immersed myself in the facts about the work that Jewish Heart for Africa has been able to accomplish in such a short time. Yes, 1.4 billion people, 1/4 of the world’s population lives without electricity, but Jewish Heart for Africa, since the launch of Project Sol in 2008, has completed over 40 solar projects in Ethiopia, Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda, providing light for schools, medical clinics and water pumping systems. More than 200,000 people have received light and energy from our solar panels. In addition, each of Jewish Heart for Africa’s water pumping systems provide 20,000 liters of clean water per day, enough water for an entire village. I felt a sense of pride as I rattled off the facts in my head.

Tentatively, I looked around at my fellow volunteers, all of whom had sacrificed a precious Sunday during a fleeting New York city summer, all of whom were bringing their knowledge of film, of makeup, their passion to serve as a spokesperson for Jewish Heart of Africa. At that moment, it suddenly clicked for me that one of things that makes Jewish Heart for Africa such a model of a successful non-profit venture is the effort to engage its volunteer base.

Volunteers at Jewish Heart for Africa are treated like VIPs and accorded the kind of respect typically given to high level donors. Meetings begin with a warm hug by Rachel Ishofsky, their amazing Executive Director and the JHA staff shares Rachel’s ideology and always strives to seek out volunteers’ opinions and ideas, actively engaging them throughout the meetings. Being a volunteer at Jewish Heart for Africa is about so much more than sitting around while programs are explained, or Power Point presentations are shown. At JHA, volunteer meetings are a platform for volunteers to learn about and enhance the work that Jewish Heart for Africa accomplishes and because of this, people like me feel a sense of responsibility, pride and belonging to the organization.

Because the Jewish Heart for Africa team does not like to waste, instead of spending much needed funds on creating a video, they draw upon the assets of their volunteers, all of whom believe in the mission, a beautiful model for other non-profits to adapt.

Although I cringe somewhat at the sound of my own voice on camera and its unfortunate likeness to Orphan Annie’s, I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish together that August afternoon. It was a small taste of the integrity and resourcefulness that is employed by Jewish Heart for Africa; an up close and personal opportunity to become involved in their myriad projects.

If you have yet to check out the JHA volunteer video, watch it below:

This month, Jewish Heart for Africa is excited to welcome the newest addition to our New York team, Bar Riese.

A former intern, (she loved us too much to stay away!) Bar is now joining us as Jewish Heart for Africa’s Program Manager. Bar will be making sure that all our work runs smoothly, both in the US and in Africa. From coordinating our project managers and contractors in the field to processing donations and planning events,  Bar is an integral part of the JHA team.

While we’ve known and loved her from the day we met her over a year ago, we’ve put together this interview so you can get to know her too.

Where are you from?

I’m from Israel, from Moshav Asseret, which is about an hour south of Tel Aviv.

Where did you go to school?

I went to Columbia University, and majored in Philosophy.

What drew you to JHA?

It was the fact that JHA’s work combines Israel with the international development world. It’s rare to find that kind of work, and to find it at such a high quality. The ability to make an impact in both of these worlds is something I feel very strongly about.

What is your experience working in the developing world?

I am a certified TEFL teacher and spent time living and teaching English in Argentina and Brazil, to children and adults both at school and independently. Later I spent time in Kolkata, India, where I volunteered with mentally disabled women and orphaned children at Shanti Dan, a home for the destitute founded by Mother Teresa. I took personal care of the residents and assisted with daily office work and supply management.

What experience do you bring to the JHA team? 

As an intelligence officer and a team leader in the Israeli Defense Force, I gained programmatic, managerial and organizational skills. These later came in handy as I began working in the non-profit world with different organizations such as Amnesty International and OneVoice.

As a student at Columbia University I studied human rights as well as sustainable development. In these programs I learned how development work can be successful and where it can go wrong, and perhaps most importantly, why it is so crucial that it is always done sustainably.

Finally, as a traveler, an English teacher and a volunteer, I was fortunate enough to experience development work first hand, and see in person the effect it can have on people’s lives. In addition to the skills I gained from the army and my degree, I bring to JHA my passion for this type of work, and the true joy of being able to help create a positive impact in people’s lives every single day.

What do you do when you’re not in the JHA office?

I love traveling and getting to know new places and cultures, it’s probably my favorite thing. I also love dancing (swing is next on my list), reading (now that I’ve graduated I get to read in Hebrew again, which is so exciting!), and being outdoors.

Where have you traveled?

I’ve backpacked in Europe, Egypt, Jordan, Brazil, Argentina, Cuba and India. My favorite has always been Brazil. You just can’t beat a place that has great people, great music, great nature and great food…

What’s your favorite spot in NYC?

Ooh that’s a tough one. There’s always new places! My favorite is just randomly walking the streets, and then it doesn’t really matter which part of town I’m in. But if you really want to get a favorite spot out of me, I’d say it would probably be Coney Island – a place that allows you to go to the beach and to an amusement park all at once is not to be disregarded! Besides, there’s something about it that just feels like you’re on the set of an old movie…

What do you like to do on the weekends?

Brunch and dance. The two don’t always go together, so you need to really watch yourself.

What languages do you speak?

Well, it all depends on how you define “speak.” I am fluent in English and Hebrew, but I can carry on a conversation in Spanish, French and German, and if you really pushed me, I’d mumble in Hindi.

Favorite vegetarian feast in NYC?

It’s a tossup between the burekas you can get at Holy Land market on St. Marks, and the sabich you can get at Sumsum on 72nd and Broadway. If you don’t know what burekas or sabich are, email info@jhafrica.org and I promise to explain (seriously).

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated on all that goes on behind the scenes at JHA:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jhafrica

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jhafrica

For nearly 4 years, Jewish Heart for Africa has depended on the help and support of our volunteers. With over 375 members of our volunteer community located around the world, it was time to start rethinking our volunteer model. So we asked the experts: the volunteers themselves.

With over 80 respondents to our survey sent out one month ago, we’d like to share some key findings about our volunteer community with all of you. The results are in

1.    63% live in NYC

2.   41% have joined within the last 6 months

3.   23% have volunteered with us for the last 2 years

4.   5% have been around since the very beginning.

5.     31% are students

6.     86% are between the ages of 20 and 39.

7.     50% of our volunteers are not involved with any other Jewish organizations.

8.     62% follow us on facebook and twitter.

9.     92% of volunteers read all our emails, and 40% forward them.

10.    When asked to select one or more of the following as the most important aspects of our work to them, our volunteers answered as follows:

77% said Africa

68% said Israel

58% said the Environment

11.    53%  of our volunteers have also donated to JHA

12.    73.5% said they would like to help us find financial support for our work. Here’s how they’d be willing to help:

Facebook: 61%

Personal emails to family and friends: 60%

Birthday Campaign: 49%

Cold calls: 44%

Planning fundraisers: 42%

Phone calls to family and friends: 12%

13.    88% of our volunteers want to have more social volunteer events. 38% are willing to organize them.

14.    52% of volunteers outside NYC would consider participating in meetings via webcam.

15.    90% of volunteers, when asked to restate what we do in their own words, did so with 100% accuracy. Almost all respondents highlighted the words “Israel” and “sustainable.”

When asked why they volunteer, almost every response was directly related to our mission. Many new volunteers are looking to travel to Africa with us—an opportunity that is not yet available, but we hope will be in the coming years. The following are a few sample responses:

“I feel like I found a Jewish non-profit that makes a direct and immediate impact in a way that no other organization has been able to do. We are helping people with no resources to live a better life and we are supporting Israel simultaneously.” –Stephanie Galperin

“As an individual who is at the intersection of African-American and Jewish with concerns for the environment, it seemed like a very pertinent organization to get involved with.” — Keyanna Silverman

“I believe in the mission of the organization. I meet great people for socializing and hanging with. I like the organizers and other volunteers.” –Steven Ackerman

Finally, we asked about our volunteers’ most meaningful experience with Jewish Heart for Africa. The answers were as diverse as the respondents. Here’s a sample:

“I loved attending the JHA gala. It was really inspiring to see so many people in NY dedicated to this cause.” — Nicki, NYC

“Meeting with different temples and organizations and seeing their faces light up as I describe JHA’s work. As if they were saying ‘why hasn’t anyone thought of this sooner?’” – Jocelyn, Massachusetts

“The birthday campaign!!!” – David Brami, France

“Raising money outside of my student union for JHA. People were so generous it was amazing!” – Anonymous student, University of Maryland

“Unfortunately because I live in Jerusalem I haven’t had any hands on experience volunteering with them. But every time I wear my JHA shirt I have the opportunity to educate new people about the organization.” – Tamara, Israel

“Meeting in Sivan’s apartment when the organization was still taking off.” – Nicole, NYC

“I met my current boyfriend ” – Dayna, NYC

In response to the input of our volunteers, we at Jewish Heart for Africa are working on building a more global, interactive, meaningful and impactful community.

To join us, fill out our volunteer form:

http://www.jhasol.org/volunteer.html

And join our volunteer facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/170767236322118

The volunteer group on facebook will be an online community where volunteers around the globe can share ideas, plan events, and get to know one another.

We hope all of you–volunteers, supporters, etc.–will share with us your feedback on everything from our blog, youtube channel (www.youtube.com/jewishheartforafrica), facebook and twitter to our email campaigns. We love hearing from you.

Again, thank you to all of our volunteers for participating in the survey, and for all that you do to make our work possible.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest Jewish Heart for Africa news: http://www.twitter.com/jhafrica and http://www.facebook.com/jhafrica

Well, its summer in the city, and for us at Jewish Heart for Africa that means farmer’s markets, office field trips, never-ending ice coffees, and… interns!

Our interns are an integral part of the team responsible for making our work possible, from administration to social media, from videos to event planning, we couldn’t do it without them.

So without further ado, meet the new class, our summer interns for 2011:

Name: Erin Easley

Internship position: Social Media and Marketing.

Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

School: Second year Master’s degree student at The New School for Social Research, focusing in Historical Studies.

About me: Perhaps I was destined to work in social media as my older sister donned me “types like the wind” at the age of 13. I enjoy blogging, photography, cooking gluten free feasts, and I’m not ashamed to admit it… reality TV.

What Erin does for JHA: Keeps you on the down low online with Twitter, Facebook, the JHA blog, SEO, and online projects.

Name: Juliette Miller

Internship Position: Campus Coordinator.

Hometown: Great Neck, New York

School: Rising Junior at Cornell University.

About me: Hobbies include- Music: downloading, keeping up with new artists/releases, refining my iTunes library. Also, photography and photoshopping my pictures. Obsessed. The nonprofit Invisible Children has been a huge part of my life for the past five years, the musical Hair is my soul mate in musical form, and the band Third Eye Blind is the love of my life.

What Juliette does for JHA: Juliette’s work on student task force outreach and the JHA campus toolkit material will be coming soon to a campus near you.

Name: Steven Harrison

Internship Position: PR & Special Projects.

Hometown: Livingston, New Jersey.

School: Rising senior at Vanderbilt University, majoring in Political Science and English and minoring in History. I also just returned from a semester abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.

About me: My hobbies include playing guitar, writing for the newspaper at school, and playing basketball.

What Steven does for JHA: Crushes press releases, donor reports, and special projects.

- – -

A big thank you to Erin, Juliette and Steven for all your hard work! And for those of you out there looking for an internship for next year, be in touch!

Without electricity, 90% of rural Africans are currently dependent on wood to meet their energy needs. This means they are cutting down their own trees just to have something to burn.

Last March, when we, the Jewish Heart for Africa staff, visited our project sites in Uganda, we barely avoided a mudslide that killed 300 people in the Mt. Elgon district in which we were working. The cause of this mudslide was deforestation; without trees and the stability their roots provide to the ground, a storm in the rainy season was able to cause mass devastation.

In order to reduce deforestation and the use of expensive, dangerous and unsustainable energy sources such as kerosene, we need to find a better solution. We need to provide rural people with an alternative energy source for their homes.

The challenge is that large solar panels are often too expensive for individuals to purchase for their homes. Even if an individual could afford a solar system, they will have to pay for maintenance, replacing bulbs, batteries, etc. It’s an expensive proposition, and not one suitable for the millions of people living without electricity and earning less than a dollar each day.

We at Jewish Heart for Africa have a solution—a new social enterprise for rural energy development.

As of last month, we opened a pilot store–a small kiosk in a rural market in Uganda. This store is solar powered. People can come from miles around and pay a small fee to plug in their electronic appliances: cell phones, hair trimmers, etc. Most importantly, however, they can come to learn about and purchase solar powered lanterns.

The lanterns look like desk lamps, but instead of a chord that plugs into the wall, they have one that connects to a small solar panel. It takes the panels only a few hours to charge in the daytime, and they work for hours at night. They are bright, they are environmentally friendly and most importantly, they are cheap. At approximately $24 each, they cost around the same amount as a three to five month supply of kerosene. This means that they are an affordable solution, and will actually save rural villagers money within a six-month period.

Children will no longer have to breathe in the harmful fumes of candles and kerosene lamps just to study at night. People will no longer risk fire in order to light their homes in the evening. Families will no longer have to spend hours each day cutting and carrying wood, causing deforestation in their communities. All this will change with the solar lanterns available for purchase at our new solar store.
The pilot store is run by Masaba Philex, a 22 year old Ugandan from Bugaheme Village.
Masabe is teaching the members of his community about solar power, and providing them with a cost-effective and sustainable energy solution for their homes.

This is the first project in our journey to build a replicable model in which we bring entrepreneurial solutions to rural communities facing energy challenges.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep updated on the project’s progress:

http://www.twitter.com/jhafrica and http://www.facebook.com/jhafrica

Prepared by Alex Kaomba, Malawi Project Manager

Imagine eight kerosene lamps and candles, one for each bed, cramped in a three by five meter maternity ward. The pregnant mothers and newborn babies inhale the dangerous fumes, unaware of the detrimental consequences to their health. In the corridors, a thick blanket of darkness envelops the walls, while patients and nurses on night duty alike have to grope for their way around the clinic. Ironically, on this dark maternity ward’s roof are expensive solar panels. For decades this was the story of the Ukwe Clinic, but last Friday all that changed with the help of Jewish Heart for Africa (JHA) and its partners.

The Ukwe health clinic is one of nine government clinics in the Kabudula health district, west of Lilongwe, Malawi. Established over thirty years ago, the clinic continues to provide more than 30,000 villagers with 24-hour service, even though it only has one nurse who must also perform the midwife duties. Since its establishment, more than 20,000 babies have been delivered successfully at Ukwe.

Ten years ago, the government installed solar power systems at all its clinics in rural areas, including Ukwe. Sadly, a few years later, 90% of the clinics slipped back into darkness. With so many clinics to care for, the government had become overwhelmed and could not supply the replacement bulbs and batteries needed. The communities rely solely on the government for their replacements, and there was simply no sustainability mechanism in place.

For its second solar project in Malawi, JHA chose the Ukwe clinic that had been serving and saving the lives of thousands. For nearly two months, weekly meetings were held with villagers to mobilize their support for the upkeep and long-term sustainability of their solar power system at the clinic.

May 13th was chosen as the day in which the Ukwe Health Clinic would see the refurbishment of its solar power system. Women, men, and children came to meet us when we arrived at the clinic, and there was excitement and a common sense of appreciation for this kind gesture. Because Ukwe’s lack of lighting was a well-known problem amongst the people, even passersby inquired to learn who had donated the supplies needed to revive the clinic’s solar power system.

Mr. Chinyama (the Ukwe village chairman), ten chiefs from surrounding villages, all the members of the hospital management committee, and the Ukwe Clinic staff attended the installation ceremony.

Mr. W. Mwalirino, who was in charge of the ceremony, recounted to the audience how JHA had contacted the clinic, and because of unfulfilled promises to the clinic in the past, he was at first skeptical. He said our constant contact with the clinic in the previous months had given everyone confidence that JHA was serious about restoring lights to the clinic.

Mrs. Nyungwe, the clinic’s only nurse and midwife, has been with the clinic for twenty-five years and also spoke. She said for many years the clinic had been crying for help with no one answering, until JHA heard its call. She said her service to the community would be more efficient because of proper lighting, and added that mothers would now use the money previously spent on candles for buying necessities for their newborn babies.

Chinyama, the Ukwe village chairman and representative of the local chief asked for cooperation between the clinic and the management committee. He spoke about our sustainability model—our solar cell phone charging station. Members of the community can now charge their cell phones at the clinic rather than traveling miles to the nearest town with electricity. They will pay a few cents to do so, and that money will help the community pay for their own replacement batteries and light bulbs so the system will not fail again in the future. He explained that if the money from this business is well accounted for and well used, then that would give JHA confidence not only in the Ukwe community, but also in other clinics that are facing similar problems. Later, he flicked the switch on to symbolize the rebirth of lights at Ukwe clinic, which drew excitement and applause from the crowd.

Then it was my turn to speak. I was so humbled by the presence of so many chiefs, especially because we were deep into harvesting time and almost everyone was tending to their fields. I thanked the chiefs for coming to witness the return of the lights to their clinic, and I pointed out that JHA was looking forward to working together with their community in ensuring that electricity was always available at the clinic. I continued by stating that transparency and accountability on the part of the management committee will assist all parties in remaining committed to this clinic, and anything to the contrary will result in darkness returning to the clinic. I explained that the Ukwe clinic was the first to get assistance in Malawi from JHA, and I reiterated that it was the first time that JHA had rehabilitated an existing solar power system and that it was a rare privilege for their clinic to get that kind of assistance.

The Ukwe community has not seen any meaningful development from the government or NGOs, and the people of Ukwe are eager to build a longstanding relationship with JHA. The community still faces other challenges at the clinic. For example, the clinic is still without piped water. Whenever a woman is in labor she or her guardian must fetch water from the borehole for use. If complications arise with a patient, then they must be transferred to a district hospital. Unfortunately, only one ambulance exists in the whole district, and other trolley ambulances that were donated by the government have broken down and there are no spare parts to replace the ones that are in disrepair.

JHA and its partners remain aware of these challenges, and will be interested in seeing whether the community progresses with a common sense of purpose in taking care of their solar power system before seeking further assistance for this clinic. For now, one thing is certain: the Ukwe clinic has emerged from the shadows of darkness.

On May 3, 2011 Jewish Heart for Africa hosted a one night photography exhibit at SoHo’s Broadway Gallery that featured Peter DiCampo’s award winning series: “Life Without Lights.”

This one night exhibition, held in partnership with the World Energy Forum, the Center for Technology and Economic Development, and the Mission of the Republic of Malawi to the UN, featured a brief program and conversation on energy poverty, with addresses made by DiCampo and Jewish Heart for Africa’s Associate Executive Director
Rachel Ishofsky. Over 150 people were in attendance.

DiCampo’s work photographing energy poverty has been written up in the New York Times and Wired Magazine, and won him first prize in the British Journal of Photography’s International Photography Awards. While living in Ghana as a Peace Corps Volunteer, DiCampo began photographing life at night, capturing the darkness of life off the electrical grid. His photos demonstrate a global crisis, depicting the challenges faced by the 1.4 billion people that live without electricity.

Broadway Gallery donated their space for the event, and Royal Wine Corp was the evening’s wine sponsor.

Photographs are available for purchase on the JHA website:           http://www.jhasol.org/dicampo/life_without_lights/prints.html

To see photos of the event, please visit:                                                        http://www.jhasol.org/dicampo/life_without_lights/gallery.html#grid

Information on the photographer and exhibit can be found at http://lifewithoutlights.com/

The Sabbath Manifesto is a modern solution to a weekly day of rest. The founders, a group of artists, are all members of Reboot, a non-profit group designed to “reboot” the rituals, cultures, and traditions of Jewish Life.

The Sabbath Manifesto encourages people to take one day each week to unplug, relax, get outside, and spend time with loved ones.

We at Jewish Heart for Africa love to unplug. But we also find ourselves thinking constantly of the 1.6 billion people–one quarter of humanity–who live unplugged year round.

Jewish Heart for Africa brings sustainable Israeli technologies to rural African villages. We use solar systems from Israel to power rural African schools, medical clinics and water pumps. Our solar powered projects provide light in schools for evening study and computer use; for nighttime emergency medical care; for refrigeration of lifesaving medicines vaccines and for pumping clean water in regions of drought.
Since our founding in 2008, we have brought solar energy to over 150,000 people.

When we unplug, we see it as a luxury. We have so much to unplug from.

We’ve decided to become part of the Sabbath Manifesto, to use it as an opportunity to reflect on what it might mean not to be plugged in—to live life off the grid. We encourage our supporters to do the same.

We hope you’ll join us and share your stories. Be in touch at:

http://www.facebook.com/jhafrica
http://www.twitter.com/jhafrica

You can learn more about the Sabbath Manifesto at: http://www.sabbathmanifesto.org/