December 2021: Light Up the Night
It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
Psalm 18:28
Qinghai province in northwest China is ranked fourth-largest in area, has the third-smallest population, and its economy is second-lowest in the country. Due to the insufficient power supply in this plateau region, there are often power outages. The students in those areas must study under candlelight or with oil lamps at night. Such weak light not only affects the effectiveness of the children’s learning, but also harms the development of their vision.
To help with this need, the Amity Foundation, a partner of the United Church of Christ and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) through Global Ministries, started a project called “The Mini Power Station School Bag.” The goal of the project is to provide a power supply and light for students and teachers in the western mountainous areas to improve their ability to study, teach, and learn. The power stations are easy to use, portable, safe, and pollution-free. They include foldable solar panels that charge the mobile power supplies and LED lights. The power stations can be carried in a school bag, charged by the sun during the day, and used at night. The cost of one mini power station is ￥230 RMB (Chinese currency) or $34 USD. It helps to solve the problem of the insufficient power supply and lighting in the provinces of the western plateau.
Amity Foundation has donated over 9,500 mini power stations to 47 schools in 14 different counties in Qinghai province. Plans are in place to distribute more than 2,000 more sets of mini power stations to the students in Qinghai and Sichuan provinces by the end of 2021.
We pray for the people, mission partners, and ministries in China in your prayers and are reminded of the importance of light in the world.