Children in rural parts of Africa walk every day to and from school only returning home to do homework without light needed to do so. Salima Visram, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, is revolutionizing the way students in third world countries study at home with the Soular. These bags provide a light source at home that is safer and much cheaper than the alternative. Visram’s backpack, the Soular, contains a solar panel on the outside of the backpack that charges a light. Students wear these bags on their long walks to and from their campus, powering the light within their backpacks. Walking in the sun gives enough light for 5 hours of illumination to study and do homework.

The young entrepreneur launched her company in 2015, with the goal of providing light and a tool for students in third world countries to help further their education. So far, the Soular backpacks have been distributed in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Visram raised 50,000 dollars in support of her company sending the first 2,500 Soular Bags to East Africa. Production, now in Kenya, is headed up by 8 lead volunteers.

Eight volunteers are not where the Soular’s team ends. Visram has teamed up with Disney and Lupita Nyong’o, who stars in Disney’s Queen of Katwe. Nyong’o’s new film, Queen of Katwe, is set in Uganda, one of Visram’s main countries where she has focused on providing light. In Queen of Katwe, the kerosene lamp is an essential part of the film’s plot. These kerosene lights happen to be found in homes of students in Uganda. This style of lighting is very expensive, as well as being a carcinogenic, dangerous to young student health. Over July 2016, the Disney team and the star went with Soular to distribute backpacks in Uganda. Lupita Nyong’o, seen in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 12 Years A Slave, and The Jungle Book, has a quote found on every Soular bag handed out in Uganda that states, “The Power Is In Your Step.” Early on in the stages of distribution to the children of Africa, Visram stated, “So far, we’ve distributed backpacks to 500 children but we’ve realized that with one backpack in the family, on average 3 children are able to study with it.” The Soular team may not have yet reached every child, but the amount of bags that have been produced provide light to 300% of what was intended.

The Soular company continues to grow and support those in need. The newest addition to the foundation is seen as the 1:1 bag hits the site. With the 1:1 bag, Visram’s company has promised to donate a bag to a student in need of light with every purchase of these 1:1 backpacks. Much like those who created the shoe brand Toms, the goal is always to provide needed materials for a better life to those in countries like Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. 

Salima Visram says, “The next phase of Soular would be to scale the one-for-one model across North America in a big way and make sure that everyone who needs a backpack is aware that they could buy a backpack that gifts light to a child in need. We’re excited to position ourselves as a leading backpack company that stands to create social impact.”

Find out more about Visram’s amazing company and purchase the 1:1 bag here:

https://the-soular-backpack.myshopify.com