WE CARE Solar team member Melissa Ho has been working on health care telecommunications in Uganda this year. She will be field testing a solar suitcase in one of the health care facilities in Southwest Uganda. When we learned that our colleague in San Francisco was heading out to Uganda this weekend, co-founder Hal Aronson quickly assembled a solar-powered lighting and charging station for Melissa to bring to the health facility. On the way, we’ll be introducing the solar electric system to UNICEF staff in Uganda who asked to try out the suitcase for themselves. We’ll be collecting more data on lighting and communication needs from Ugandan health facilities, and are aiming to deliver more solar suitcases for field testing in the coming year.

Elsa Leads With Her Voice When the Lights Go Out
The darkness affects everything, including communication. “In the dark, we don’t have that detailed conversation we should have,” Elsa says. “We can’t observe each other. I can’t see her expression, and she can’t see mine. Communication becomes unhealthy.”