“When I was young, we had to study by candle light with only one candle for the entire family. I want to make sure that children no longer have to work in those conditions,” says Thione Niang, co-founder of the Akon Lighting Africa project. According to the foundation’s official website, www.akonlightingafrica.com, Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as Akon, and Thione Niang both grew up in Kaolack, Senegal, one of the many towns in Africa that do not have electricity.
According to the Economist, Africa may have nearly one billion people, and be a sixth of the world’s population, but they generate only four percent of worldwide electricity. Eighty percent of the world has the ability to access electricity, while only 30 percent of Africa has actual electricity. Akon teamed up with Samba Bathily, an important actor in the Malian economy and has played a role over the past twenty years in developing a strong private sector in Africa, and Thione Niang, a politician, speaker, and consultant that is highly popular across Africa, to grant 600 million powerless Africans the gift of electricity, calling this movement “The Konfidence Foundation”.
Sara Peerenboom, a 7th grader at Bunsold Middle School, tells us what she thinks her life would be like without the access to electricity. “I feel like I would be a more active person,” Peerenboom states, “It would be upsetting [to not have electricity] because I wouldn’t be able to text my friends, and since most of our school work is done online we wouldn’t be able to do as many tests or online assignments.” Without electricity, a common household would seem pointless. Refrigerators, lights, computers, rechargeable batteries, gaming consoles, and other electricity necessary objects would have no purpose.
Nowadays as you walk down the street, shop in a store, sit down and eat lunch ,you will see that people always have their heads down looking at their phones. Imagine a life without being able to charge your phone, microwave your food, shower with the lights on, read a book at night, or do your schoolwork that is online.Children, teenagers, and adults all across Africa go through their everyday lives without electricity. Children living in Africa live much different lives. According to the Brookings Press, there are 30 million children out of school, one in every four in the region. Africa has the lowest high school enrollment rates. 28 percent of youth are enrolled in school, leaving 90+ million teenagers struggling for low paying jobs.
Nowadays as you walk down the street, shop in a store, sit down and eat lunch ,you will see that people always have their heads down looking at their phones. Imagine a life without being able to charge your phone, microwave your food, shower with the lights on, read a book at night, or do your schoolwork that is online.Children, teenagers, and adults all across Africa go through their everyday lives without electricity. Children living in Africa live much different lives. According to the Brookings Press, there are 30 million children out of school, one in every four in the region. Africa has the lowest high school enrollment rates. 28 percent of youth are enrolled in school, leaving 90+ million teenagers struggling for low paying jobs.
As a philanthropist, Akon turned his attention and love to found the Konfidence Foundation in 2007. In just one year, Akon was able to help 14 countries find light. Countries in Africa such as Mali, Kenya, Senegal, and Sierra Leone now have electricity to light their homes at night.
According to the official Akon Lighting Africa site, over 3.5 millions Africans die every single year from harmful pollutants or fires produced by toxic solid fuels that are used to light homes. Due to Akon’s foundation, those numbers are dropping drastically and Africa is growing brighter as well safer. “You know you’ve done the right thing when you see grown men and women crying in wonder because it’s the first time they’ve ever seen artificial light,” Niang states.
Akon, Thione, Samba, and millions of others are changing the history of Africa every single day. “Not a lot of people have the power to do what Akon has done,” Peerenboom says, smiling, “This will impact African history for sure.”
You can help light up Africa as well.Go online to www.akonlightingafrica.com and click either the “become a partner” or “become a volunteer” buttons on the upper right corner of the page. Submit your name, email, and a brief message on your enthusiasm to help Africa. Every single day Akon and his foundation give yet another dark home electricity. Join the movement today.
Emma Peerenboom
Arts and Entertainment
According to the official Akon Lighting Africa site, over 3.5 millions Africans die every single year from harmful pollutants or fires produced by toxic solid fuels that are used to light homes. Due to Akon’s foundation, those numbers are dropping drastically and Africa is growing brighter as well safer. “You know you’ve done the right thing when you see grown men and women crying in wonder because it’s the first time they’ve ever seen artificial light,” Niang states.
Akon, Thione, Samba, and millions of others are changing the history of Africa every single day. “Not a lot of people have the power to do what Akon has done,” Peerenboom says, smiling, “This will impact African history for sure.”
You can help light up Africa as well.Go online to www.akonlightingafrica.com and click either the “become a partner” or “become a volunteer” buttons on the upper right corner of the page. Submit your name, email, and a brief message on your enthusiasm to help Africa. Every single day Akon and his foundation give yet another dark home electricity. Join the movement today.
Emma Peerenboom
Arts and Entertainment