Thato Kgatlhanye of South Africa has been named a recipient of the 2014 Anzisha Prize, Africa’s premier youth entrepreneurship award, for her solar schoolbags concept.
Thato’s business, Repurpose Schoolbags, up-cycles plastic bags and integrates solar technology that charges during the day and provides light at night.
Discarded plastic shopping bags are turned into a retro-reflective textile that make up the bags. An embedded small solar panel charges during the child’s walk to school and transforms into a solar lantern; which can provide sufficient light for study for up to 12 hours when fully charged.
One of the wonderful aspects of the concept is the children’s families don’t pay anything for the bags.
Disadvantaged schools with children who lack basic school supplies and walk long distances to and from the classroom each day are identified by Repurpose Schoolbags. ‘Giving Partners’ then purchase or donate on behalf of the students. Giving Partners are provided with information regarding how much plastic was recycled, along with photos from the handover event and letters from children and teachers at the disadvantaged school.
Repurpose Schoolbags now has 8 full time employees and numerous plastic bag collectors. The bags are produced in a factory in Rustenburg, South Africa.
So far, 120 children have benefited from the solar schoolbags and over 10,000 plastic bags have been repurposed.
Rethaka (Pty) Ltd is the parent company of Repurpose Schoolbags.
“We are not a charity, but a purpose-driven business that does what is right, not what is easy,” states the web site.
“Through our green innovations, we redefine societal problems into solutions. We make it our business to uncover sustainable opportunities that create a far-reaching impact for low-income communities, with a particular focus on children and women.”
The Anzisha Prize rewards young entrepreneurs who have developed and implement solutions to social challenges or started successful businesses within their communities. Now in its fourth year, the Anzisha Prize received 339 applications from 32 countries this year.
