Incitement Liter of Light

On 26th and 27th March 2016
I had a chance to join the 50+ volunteers for Incitement Liter of Light event
To build as well as install the solar powered lights at orang asli village called Kampung Sungai Loon at Ringlet, Cameron Highland which had no access to electricity
Pretty cool right!
Incitement is an independent organization which is organized in over 40 countries to create positive impact in the world
I actually managed to attend one of their talks regarding Liter of Light and saw Illac Diaz (founder of Liter of Light) at Impact Hub last year
That was the first time I heard of the idea about using a plastic bottle to build light
This year
I grabbed the opportunity to personally join the build since I had the free time and wanted to experience what it was like to volunteer
This event took two days
On Day 1
We had workshops which taught us how to build the lights at Makespace
On Day 2
We installed those lights that we built the day before at orang asli village deep in the jungle
Let the pictures do the talking~


Day 1
Everyone was grouped into different stations
Each station would be building the parts for the lights
This includes sawing, drilling, hammering, wiring etc
Eventually
All the parts would be assembled together

They divided us into different stations. Each station took care of different tasks.
It was my first time to hold pliers, wire cutter, driller and light bulb!
Met them at the event. Awesome people!
I was initially in charged of drilling and later the light testing
Since I have small hands
Drilling was very difficult and tiring for me
The driller itself was already very heavy for me
Light testing was easier
I only had to connect the wires into the circuit and test if there was any faulty lights
Well that was Day 1
We finished our build around 6pm and headed home
Day 2
Still in my sleepy eyes
We gathered at Bangsar LRT station at 6.30am before boarding the bus to Ringlet, Cameron Highland
The journey took us about 4 hours
When we arrived at Ringlet
We jumped onto one of the four-wheel drives and headed to Kampung Sungai Loon
That was very adventurous and fun!
All the lights were loaded onto this four-wheel drive
One hour journey to the village
Arrived at the village
Briefing
Unloaded the lights from the four-wheel drive
Before we began we had to test the lights 
Again we were divided into groups which carried out different tasks
My group
The light was joined to a bamboo stick. The bamboo stick was heavy!
Standing under the scorching heat!
Lunch break. Had to use hand to eat because there was no spoon. First experience!
Having our lunch inside a hut made of bamboo sticks
See the lights? The number of lights to be installed was requested by the villagers. This is how they looked like during day time. 
When we finished installing the lights
It was only 3/4pm
Since we had to wait until 8pm to check if all the lights would be lighted up
We had plenty of time left
So majority decided to go to a river nearby the village
They actually jumped down from the bridge
Happily playing water
I happened to be a scaredy-cat. So, I went to the other side of the fast flowing stream and sat on a rock.
My friend at the opposite side of the river. 
It was indeed very refreshing
Especially after standing and working under the merciless sun for the whole afternoon (about 38-40°C)
Worse still
I actually forgot to bring my hair band and cap (I only remembered to bring sunscreen > <)
Headed back to the village. They barbecued corn for us to eat. 
She was so adorable. 
Night was approaching. All the lights started to light up one by one.
A group picture before we leave.
We reached Bangsar LRT station around 2 midnight
Exhausted and hungry
A few of us decided to have our supper at a mamak stall
Reached home around 3am
However
We made a small impact on the villagers' lives
It was indeed a very memorable and fun experience with all the volunteers
Some of us even became instant friend
I want to thank to my friend
Without her
I wouldn't have the courage to join this event
Lastly
Some of the pictures posted here were taken by my own phone camera while others were taken by Incitement photographers
The words expressed here are purely my own opinion based on the experience I had during the event
I highly encourage anyone who is interested to join this event
You can easily find it on Facebook
Let's spread the positivity
To a better world!
Location: Ringlet, Pahang, Malaysia

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