Dear friends,

In the past weekend with the help of Path Of The Heart (www.pathoftheheart.com) and all of you, we have changed in hte most positive ways the lives of 10 families in the mountains of the Andes. This personal solar LED light provides better education and full opportunities to all who gets them. Our journey started at 3 a.m. in the morning ot the community of Charcahuaylla at 15,000 feet (approx.). It took us about 5 hours to hike to their location. We used horses to carry the lights.

David, a 7 year old boy, and his father, Richard, were our guides to their community. When we arrived, the mothers and most of the children were taking care of their animials in the hills. Even the dogs were not there, but you could see them from far away. Because of the remoteness of these areas, it will never be possible to bring them regular electricity. This is why it is so important, with your help, to bring them the solar light. Thank you so much.

Everyone in the communities shares their appreciation to you with their smiles. Every night when they turn on their solar lights, they think of you and hold a big space in their hearts for you. Have a blessed day.

Washi

April 11, 2013

Dear Washi,

I would like to report that we have completed the installation of both solar panel systems in the communities of Chupani and Chuallacocca.

Although the trek to get our materials and ourselves there was daunting, the end results were certainly worth it.

In Chupani, we installed the panel on the roof of the school building. We used a special controller that would step down the 24V of the panel to 12V. We installed a very high quality 600W PowerBright inverter with the system. We hard wired ceiling lighting fixtures into 2 classrooms, 2 teacher bedrooms and the kitchen. We also included a power strip for other devices to be plugged in, and additional outlets in the bedrooms and kitchen.

Because of the extremely long day (we started at the Cusco office at 4am, drove for about 4 hours, then hiked, with horses, for another 4 hours before we started the installation), we slept at the facility in the teacher rooms, and had dinner with them in the kitchen. The joy that we experienced was incredible. We were able to cook, eat and relax with light!

The next day we hiked to Chuallacocca, and installed a similar system on the roof of their school building. We hard wired lighting into the school room and kitchen. Again, the teachers, children and families were thrilled with the installation. We returned last night about 11pm, after again hiking for about 2 hours and driving another 4 hours.

I am happy to say that the installations went well, with everything functioning as they should.

Thanks for this opportunity, and for all of your help.

Best,
Alicia

Alicia Kozuch, Buen Power Peru

Letters from Washi: Solar Light Update - April 2013