Our Projects So Far

Liter of Light Netherlands actively takes part in various event in order to spread the movement. This year we implemented some projects and took part in different conferences and workshops in order to promote our organization.

Back in May, we participated EuroMUN which is a simulation of international organizations, in which you get the opportunity to be a diplomat and represent a country or party in debates over many different topics. We promoted and introduced Liter of Light to the students coming from all over to world.

Moreover, we took part in International Climate Change Conference in Paris. Another conference that we went was CRI Global Conference in Amsterdam. We met with the founder and the global president of Liter of Light, Illac Diaz and joined a workshop on the most recent light solutions provided by Liter of Light.

We finally implemented the project which was cooperated with Lend A Hand. After volunteers from Lend A Hand came to Maastricht and attended our workshop about how to buil up the simple light solution, they went to Potchefstroom, South Africa. The project was very successful and we are looking forward to have more projects with Lend A Hand and other NGOs.

 

Recently, our projects coordinator Lukas went to Paris and here is the whole story:

"After having a Skype meeting with our founder Illac and coming to know that he is in Paris, I booked an overnight bus ticket to get to know and experience Liter of Light France who held a workshop for the French railway company “SNCF” in a very special building.
“La REcyclerie” used to be an old railway station and was recently transformed into a canteen and a place of exchange based on the values of sustainable development and ecology. Seems like the right place to hold a workshop about building sustainable grassroot solar lights.
When I arrived at 5am in Paris, I decided to walk from the bus station to la recyclerie to feel the Parisian air at dawn. At 9am I met Olivier - the charming President of the French chapter. After having a coffee and a quick briefing, we started to prepare the workshop.
The workshops that Liter of Light France is holding more and more have several purposes. For the businesses, it strengthens the spirit of the team and involves them in a purposeful act. The built lights get then delivered to a chosen ongoing project. Also, Liter of Light tries to make the technology tangible for companies and let them experience the ease of change making. The participating company is also welcomed to partner up with Liter of Light for future projects.
After the workshop – shortly before the sun set – Olivier, Illac and I grabbed a coffee in the city to talk about our ambitions and expectations. It has been a great chat and we elaborated on some future models for Liter of Light. There will surely be some exciting improvements in the future. With these thoughts, I drove back to my little sweet Maastricht – ready to work."

TEAM 2017

The more the merrier! Seven new active members just joined Liter Of Light. These new members were all carefully selected on the basis of their motivations to help us achieve our new goals and make a difference in developing countries around the world. What is great about our team, is that all of us are passionate with sustainability, innovation, and are willing to spend our time volunteering for a great cause. These are very important values for Liter of Light and we are very excited to start working with this new team on our various projects for this academic year! 

Our secretary, Ilinca, inspires all the actives and supporters of Liter of Light by showing her commitment and enthusiasm: "As a devoted member of the Liter of Light movement I strive to make people at home and abroad aware of the scarcity and importance of light in our homes and on our streets, to deliver the technical expertise and know-how of our solar light solutions and to empower communities by encouraging them to develop micro-economies of their own while spreading the movement and creating a long-lasting impact in the world."

Liter of Light Netherlands made a great start this year. We have a new organizational structure with the new board members and committees. Besides the president, secretary and treasurer we have public relations, projects, activities and fundraising coordinators. The PR committee is in charge of promoting the movement of Liter of Light and events also it is a joint committee of IT and marketing. Projects committee focuses on initiating new projects and keep our relations with other NGOs. Activities are the events we are taking part in and fundraising keeps track of our bake sales and building up relationships with local and company wise contacts. 

What does Liter of Light mean to our new president, Lea? "For me, Liter of Light is a movement that provides tangible help to people in need in the form of simple light solutions. As this years’ president, I would like to expand the reach of Liter of Light Netherlands by collaborating more closely with other chapters, NGOs and also spread the movement in the Netherlands." 

To sum up with some words from our projects and PR coordinators:

"Liter of Light gives us an opportunity to see how a simple solution can make great changes in people’s lives. This is year Liter of Light Netherlands is more dedicated and innovative than ever with the new organizational structure and active members."

"The Liter of Light movement has huge potential. Since we teach the locals how to build and repair the lights – which are all made from local resources - it is all about spreading the idea around the globe. It feels like we are standing on the tipping point of a solar revolution! "

NEW PARTNERSHIP- Lend a Hand

We are excited and proud to announce that Liter of Light is collaborating with Lend a Hand from now on. Lend a Hand is a non-profit organization which empowers children from less fortune background. Their projects are mostly based in South Africa. They visit South Africa, organize activities and workshops to provide self improvement and self awareness to the children and young adults there. 

In summer 2016, Liter of Light will be the partner of Lend a Hand for the project in Potchefstroom, South Africa. 

Lend a Hand members attended a workshop in Maastricht and learnt how to build Liter of Light's light solution. They will implement the project in South Africa from August 1st till 10th. 

We, Liter of Light Netherlands, are glad to establish this partnership with Lend a Hand which will spread our movement and our help&solution will reach to South Africa.

For more information please visit the following links:

Liter of Light Netherlands on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LiterOfLightNetherlands/

Lend a Hand on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stichtinglendahand/?fref=ts

MeWeek Is Coming

Meet Liter of Light Netherlands at 

Maastricht Entrepreneurship Week!

Join the exciting program at Maastricht Entrepreneurship Week (MeWeek) between 9-12 May and find out for yourself what it takes to become an entrepreneur! MeWeek is the largest entrepreneurship event of its kind in the Netherlands, organised entirely by students, for students. Under the theme 'Make Your Move!', this year's edition features world-class speakers on the subjects of innovation, sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and women entrepreneurship. Participants are invited to share their insights about their ventures on their pioneering projects, innovative technologies, as well as interdisciplinary challenges. An Innovator Challenge with the focus to help the local refugees start-up, and the regional finals of the Get in the Ring Pitch Competition are two of the main highlights. 

• Listen to inspirational talks of more than 20 top speakers
• Attend workshops on subjects such as investor readiness or crowdfunding
  
• Participate actively in the Innovator Challenge - Help the local refugees start-up on their own!
  
• Participate in the Limburg Finals of the Startup Pitch Competition of Get in the Ring and win in-kind prizes worth 500,- euro
  
• Join the pitch talks and '3DeepDives' about 3D printing in business

See the full programme here: http://www.mc4e.nl/inspire/maastricht-entrepreneurship-week/program/ 

Watch the video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcsWCuXdzEA 

Tickets available here

http://www.meweek.org

Follow the official Facebook page for updates:

https://www.facebook.com/MaastrichtWeek/

Sponsors: Brightlands, LIOF, Gemeente Maastricht, Universiteit Maastricht

St. Andreas Donation

Our team members Katharina, Pia and Carla visited the parish St. Andreas in Wesseling which is located between Bonn and Cologne, Germany. A presentation on our projects and the main idea of the organization was given to the locals. With the enthusiasm of the people who attended to our presentation we were able to spread the motivation and got donations. The support was more than what we expected. Thanks to the local people's interest and generosity we collected around €800.

After showing a video and presenting our movement the locals were eager to learn about how they contribute and be involved to our organization. Our goal was to share the concept of our projects and encourage people to be a part of them. Thus, with the great amount of donation and the assistance we achieved this aim.

We would like to thank to the locals for their all kind of support and to the church for having our organization for a good cause. 

New Team

Liter of Light Netherlands Welcomes The New Members!

Liter of Light Netherlands recently recruited new members. Now, the organisation is a bigger family and students from different faculties and nationalities brought wider perspectives into the team.

Simple, innovative; a good cause without any cost! Liter of Light aims to reach the developing countries where have a lighting problem. Over 1.3 billion people live without light and our organisation turns the plastic bottles into a light source. Apparently, this idea charmed the new members of the team. “It’s amazing to see how a simple, basic solution can create a change in people’s lives.”  said one of the new members. The members of the organisation are divided into five committees which are; marketing, fundraising, IT, project and UWC.

What do we do?

Every member spends a certain time as a volunteer. During the weekly meetings, we discuss on our upcoming projects and how to promote the movement of Liter of Light. We try to come up with creative, contemporary, applicable ideas to boost the spirit and have more support to achieve our goal.

How can you support us?

Donate & Follow! We have handcrafted bags which you can find at some shops and cafés in Maastricht. Also, we organize various workshops and sales. You can follow us on social media and stay updated about our events.

The active members and their related committees are listed below:

Katharina Hennes (president), Ilinca Radu (secretary), Annika Brandwijk (treasurer)

Marketing: Leonie Marienhagen, Nataliya Levochko, Lea Willers, Elif Erkul

Fundraising: Annelies Uyttebroek, Anna Walter, Pia Mühlhoff, Chiara Hofmann, Thomas Otten

IT: Bianca Iancu, Carla Wrede, Lukas Linder Herrero

Project: Pieter Degraeve, Natalia Fiani

UWC: Danielle Kleinerman, Naima Sawadogo, Jordan Crowther