Light = Life

Help us raise $150,000 to make childbirth safer by lighting up health clinics in Uganda.

Globally, 1000 women die every day in childbirth or from complications of pregnancy. In Africa, maternal mortality is at a crisis point.

Power the World is partnering with We Care Solar to improve health care for mothers and babies by sending 100 award-winning Solar Suitcases to Ugandan clinics by August 1, 2012.

To address this issue We Care Solar designs and manufactures the Solar Suitcase, a high-efficiency solar energy system that fits in a carry-on suitcase. Designed for medical settings, the Solar Suitcase provides health workers with reliable lighting and power for medical and mobile communication devices.

Donations to Power the World are contributed to our non-profit partners, including We Care Solar. Power the World is a project of Linkin Park’s humanitarian non-profit organization, Music for Relief.

Sharing this message is the most important thing you can do to help. Governments, large companies and nongovernmental organizations can make an enormous impact in solving this problem, and they are all influenced by public opinion. If you sign the pledge then share Power the World with your friends, they share it with theirs, and energy access becomes an issue people are talking about, then governments and corporations will take notice. Think about it: before today, did you know that nearly 1 in 5 people on the planet lack the most basic access to electricity? Knowing there is a problem is the first step to a solution.

With 1.3 billion people living without access to reliable electricity, health care in energy-poor regions like Uganda is severely compromised. Clinics and hospitals often function in the dark at night, or close their doors. Among those most affected are mothers in need of emergency obstetric care and their newborns. For a mother giving birth at night, electricity can mean the difference between life and death. Women in Uganda face a 1 in 35 lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy complications. Most energy-poor regions, including Uganda, are at a crisis point in maternal and neonatal mortality.

Music for Relief has pledged to help 1 million families gain access to sustainable energy throughout 2012. In funding sustainable energy for families, businesses, and health clinics, we will be gathering data on the number of families whose lives have been improved. Each Solar Suitcase typically serves hundreds of childbearing mother and babies each year. Let’s make a difference and bring solar power to community health centers in Uganda.

1.3 Billion people do not have access to electricity.
This staggering fact ignited Linkin Park's interest in helping to find solutions.

To that end, the band pledged to support UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's Sustainable Energy for All initiative. Through Music for Relief, Linkin Park has pledged to Power the World: a commitment to help raise awareness about energy access, highlighting solutions and providing opportunities for people to get involved. Music for Relief is dedicated to disaster relief and protecting the environment; sustainable energy access is critical to both activities. Energy is necessary for effective humanitarian response, while it also empowers people living in disaster-prone areas, allowing them to receive warnings and be better prepared.

Sustainable energy is critical to protecting the environment. Some 2.5 billion people - almost half of humanity - rely on pollutants like wood, charcoal, and dung for cooking and heating. In the developed world, we need to improve methods of generating the power we need and more efficient in how we consume it.

Learn more about Sustainable Energy For All