12/30/2023
Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta were graduate students at Columbia University's School of Architecture in 2010 when a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. In one of their classes, they were assigned to develop a new innovation to help with disaster relief. Many students focused on designing shelters but, after speaking to a relief worker in Haiti, the two discovered that an often-ignored need following disasters was access to light. The pair focused on designing an inflatable, waterproof, and solar-powered lantern -- since then, they have donated over 100,000 lights to people in crisis around the the world, including shipping thousands of solar-powered phone chargers to help Ukrainian refugees! And, while their unique lantern is designed to meet the needs of people in the aftermath of a disaster, it has also become popular with outdoor enthusiasts and for home emergency kits, especially since they added a new model that doubles as a solar cell phone charger.
After their lantern is charged in the sun during the day, the LED light provides hours of light -- a feature that not only makes it more eco-friendly but essential in emergency situations when batteries are hard to find. Due to its inflatable design, it also provides diffuse light like a lantern so it can be used to illuminate a room or tent. With their latest design, they also added the ability to recharge devices such as cell phones from the solar charger. While a handy feature for hikers and campers, this new feature is also potentially life-saving in emergency situations. Whether a backpacker lost in the woods or a refugee relying on their phone to find safe passage out of a war zone, the new light gives people the ability to charge a phone anywhere.
Since founding their company, Stork and Sreshta have donated tens of thousands of lights to aid organizations, helping refugees in Ukraine and Syria and people struggling after the hurricane in Puerto Rico. They have also worked with aid organizations to help create safe spaces for women and children following disasters, such as after the massive earthquake in Nepal three years ago. As Sreshta explains, "conditions once the sun goes down can be very unsafe, especially for women and children. After the earthquake Haiti, there were many cases of violence, kidnapping and r**e. Light is a basic human need, but [conventional technology] costs too much to ship and pack as part of disaster relief." Now, thanks to the work of these two creative innovators, more people will have access to the gift of light and connection during the darkest of times.
To help support their work and stock your emergency kit, all of their solar products -- including their lantern with a solar-powered phone charger -- are on sale for 15% off this holiday season (with the code MIGHTYGIRL) at https://luminaid.com/mightygirl
Anna and Andrea are also featured in an excellent book about female innovators and inventors throughout history: "Girls Think of Everything," for readers 8 to 13, at https://www.amightygirl.com/girls-think-of-everything
For an inspiring book for tween girls who love to invent and tinker, which includes a variety of hands-on STEM projects, we highly recommend "Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Engineers" for ages 8 to 11 at https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-engineers
For two fun picture books about Mighty Girls who love to invent, both for ages 4 to 8, check out "Interstellar Cinderella" (https://www.amightygirl.com/interstellar-cinderella), and "Doll-E 1.0" (https://www.amightygirl.com/doll-e-1-0)
For invention kits and toys to encourage your Mighty Girl's interest in inventing, check out our blog post "Building Her Dreams: Building and Engineering Toys for Mighty Girls," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10430
For more inspiring stories of pioneering girls and women throughout history, you can sign-up for A Mighty Girl's free weekly email newsletter at https://www.amightygirl.com/forms/newsletter
