We are thrilled to announce that we are winners of the 2010 Global Social Venture Competition – Social Impact Assessment Competition. Our team was led by Abhay Nihalani, a talented 2nd year MBA-MPH student at Haas Business School, and included Mike MacHarg, MBA; Almaz Negash, MBA; Melissa Ho, a PhD candidate who conducted field tests in Uganda for us last year; and co-founders Hal Aronson and Laura Stachel. The award followed months of hard work, many sleepless nights, and the efforts of many generous volunteers. Especially helpful were Jose Gutierrez and Jose Vergelin of Adinfinitum Films, who produced our 3 minute “pitch” video featuring the music of Unity Nguyen; Harry Patsch,who updated our website; and many superb mentors, including Professors David Levine, John Danner, and Julia Walsh of UC Berkeley,and Professor Jim Klingler of Villanova University. We also got great advice from Dennis Moser, Michael Marks of Riverwood Capital, and Mark Summer of Inveneo. At the GSVC finals, we depicted the plight of poor mothers around the world who struggle to gain access to obstetric care, often finding that the lack of electricity impairs the ability to receive timely and appropriate care, and showed that the solar suitcase provides light and electricity in these settings at a cost of 16 cents per family. We thank EVERYONE who helped us formulate our ideas, our friends and family who put up with our weeks of preoccupation and unavailability, and our supporters who make this work possible.
When the Kitchen Table Wasn’t Enough
August 13, 2025
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In the early years of We Care Solar, every Solar Suitcase was built by hand—one at a time, often by students, volunteers, and our own team—for a health facility in need of light for safe deliveries.
