Flow For Fire: The Power of Light

My excitement for the Philippines skyrocketed when I met Amira Polack, a wonderfully warm lady who just returned from a two-year tenure in the Philippines. She’s a Princeton grad heading to Harvard Business School, and her smiling demeanor is showcased in photos that line the walls of Manila’s EAT Cafe. Upon discovering our shared passion for social entrepreneurship, Amira introduced me to a plethora of inspiring people in the Philippines. One of these social innovators is her former boss and founder of Hybrid Social Solutions, Jim Ayala.

Jim grew up in the Philippines and is the second oldest of six children. When he was 15, Jim’s father died prematurely, instructing Jim and his siblings to study hard and look after their mother before passing away. The Ayala children took this to heart, and all of them earned Ivy League undergraduate degrees on nearly full scholarships as well as graduate degrees from Harvard University. Jim attended Princeton and Harvard Business School before working for Mckinsey for 20 years, playing a key role in starting many of the company’s offices in Asia. He then went to work for the Ayala Land Trust, a group responsible for the development of Makati City, a posh neighborhood in Manila. It was in Jim’s beautiful Makati home that I found myself learning about how Hybrid Social Solutions is literally electrifying the rural Philippines with solar energy.

Here’s the issue (from Hybrid Social Solutions website): “one in four Filipinos, about 20 million people, lacks access to electricity…Without electricity, communities lack the basic resources for development, trapping them in a cycle of poverty, illness, and environmental detriment.”

HSSi brings solar energy technologies to off-grid populations with a Kiva-like model. They provide solar energy and electric products like flashlights and headlights to community organizations that them distribute the products to local populations. Jim’s office is lined with a myriad of HSSi products that have effectively helped students to do better in school, improved work conditions for many and reduced livestock loss during natural disasters.

Jim giving my friends and me an awesome demo of HSSi's work.

Prior to solar lights, students could only study until the sun went down. HSSi came up with a system where students could check out lights for a day to study, allowing them to finish their homework and study longer. One low-ranking school became one of the top-ranking schools in its district with this technology. Those who sell livestock suffer fewer losses during storms because light enables them to save chickens that would otherwise float away. This allows people to pursue economic growth with fewer bumps and stop signs. That’s the power of light.

Of course, this is just the beginning. When discussing this issue with Willerie Razote, who worked with the Acumen Fund in Uganda, she noted that the trend with solar energy now is to go big. Small lights have changed lives, and it has inspired people to desire and innovate more. Instead of just a light for studying, they want a refrigerator so they can feed their family and reduce risk for contamination, an electrified office building, etc. HSSi has served over 100,000 Filipinos and they aspire to bring energy to all who need it in a sustainable way.

If you’re interested in learning more or helping, HSSi is hiring and also accepts volunteers!