‘Solar Suitcase’ Saves Mothers & Babies Lives by Providing a Vital Light Source During Childbirth

Dr. Laura Stachel is one of the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2013. You can vote for her, or any of the other top 10 Heroes, to be CNN Hero of the Year. That person will receive $250,000 to continue their extraordinary work.

Dr. Laura Stachel, an obstetrician from California, began working in Northern Nigeria in 2008 to study ways to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. She found that hospitals were lacking in the most basic necessities, including a steady and reliable source of light. Nighttime deliveries were either attended by flashlight or critical care would have to be postponed until daylight hours. Collaborating with her husband, a solar energy educator in Berkeley, the couple created an off-grid solar electric system to provide a free source of power to the state hospital in northern Nigeria where Stachel had conducted her research. Stachel and her husband Aronson started a nonprofit, We Care Solar.

We Care Solar provides its solar suitcase, along with training and installation, to hospitals and clinics for free. Each solar suitcase costs $1,500, which the nonprofit funds through grants and support from partner organizations and sponsors. The Solar Suitcase includes high-efficiency LED lights, a universal cellphone charger, a charger for AA or AAA batteries, and 12V DC outlets. The case supports either 40 or 80 watt solar panels, and a 12 amp-hour sealed lead-acid battery. The kit can also be expanded to accommodate larger batteries.

Their Solar Suitcases were initially fabricated for midwives in Northern Nigeria. As word spread, their invention made its way to health workers and disaster relief teams around the world, including Haiti after the massive 2010 earthquake. The WHO invited WE CARE Solar to partner with Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research to bring 20 of their suitcases to the country. In 2011, they began to work with a local manufacturer to assemble over 300 Solar Suitcases to distribute them across the globe. Currently, they hope to expand their program to Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Malawi.