Go Huron! Solar Suitcase Success
I remember the first time I experienced a power outage as a child. It was a hot summer night, and the ceiling fan turned lazily above me, its rhythmic creak and steady breeze the only relief from the heavy air. Then, in an instant, everything changed. The fan slowed, its blades circling more sluggishly until they came to a halt. The hum of the refrigerator vanished and the house fell into a silence so complete it felt as though the world had slipped away.
The darkness was startling, and I had to feel my way out of the room, hands stretched in front of me, searching for the doorframe. I was scared I might trip or step on the cat’s tail. Each step was tentative, guided only by touch, until I finally found the flashlight that broke the spell of the void with its narrow beam of light.
Now imagine that same suffocating darkness not in the safety of a childhood bedroom, but in a rural clinic where a mother is giving birth. A nurse clenches a flashlight between her teeth to guide the delivery, a fragile solution that works only if everything goes smoothly. But complications happen. In those moments, light is not a luxury; it is the difference between danger and safety, between fear and hope.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)
With gratitude and joy, we celebrate the completion of the Solar Suitcase Project: a life‑changing initiative that has brought sustainable solar power to rural medical clinics in Mozambique and Madagascar. Thanks to the generosity of Anglicans across Canada, every clinic in these regions now has the light it needs to care for mothers and newborns, even in the darkest hours of the night.
In Madagascar, 14 solar suitcases were required to equip maternal health clinics. The Diocese of Huron stepped forward in faith and generosity, providing 11 of these units. Through this gift, Huron has ensured that mothers giving birth at night in rural communities will no longer face the dangers of delivering in darkness.
This project was made possible through matching funding and the collective commitment of deaneries across the diocese:
- Delaware Deanery: Contributed $43,593, funding 6½ suitcases.
- Essex Deanery: Contributed $14,169, funding 2 suitcases.
- Across the Diocese: Together we raised $72,730, funding 11 suitcases in total.
Solar Suitcases are more than equipment, they ease anxiety and offer care. Each unit provides reliable electricity for lighting, a fetal doppler, charging ports, and other essential medical tools. They have a life span of 25 years and the funds raised include transporting them and offering training in their use.
Go Huron!
This project is a testament to what can be accomplished when communities unite in generosity. The Diocese of Huron has not only met a practical need but has embodied the Gospel call to care for the vulnerable, literally letting our light shine.
In Christ
the Rev’d Canon Dr. Greg Jenkins, Chair of Alongside Hope, Huron
Alongside Hope: Anglicans and partners
working for change in Canada and around the world
- First photo by Lucinda Congolo at rural maternal health clinic in Mozambique
- Second photo by Janice Biehn, Communications & Marketing Coordinator of Alongside Hope, showing Program Support staff member Heather Jenkins of Alongside Hope making Presentation at General Synod 2025