We needed to come up with an effective and sustainable solution that would be readily accepted by school children. We looked at the one basic thing that all children carry with them - the school bag. And that is why we created the Light Bag - a portable study unit with solar panels and lights attached, that could also be used as a school bag. We distributed these bags across slums in Delhi and gave thousands of children an opportunity to improve their quality of education.

The strength in our creative execution was our unique design. Using local tailors, we fitted solar panels and LED lights on to the bags, and when the children walked to school the solar panels charged. At night, the children only had to open the front flap of the bag and the light would come on. This was a perfect fit for our brand, Salaam Baalak, because they wanted an economical and sustainable solution for slum children. We helped create a portable product that was cost effective and efficient in solving a major problem concerning slum children across Delhi.

In just 45 days the campaign has impacted the lives of more than 5000 slum children. The number of contributors have also gone up dramatically and generated, 10,000 on the last count. The campaign garnered media coverage worth USD 2 million (at zero cost) by has had over 16 million free media impressions. India’s leading English dailies, Hindustan Times & Dainik Bahskar – carried it as a front page story. It has also been featured in various news and design magazines.

The Huffington Post also featured the story. The innovation has also been selected as a case study by KxSD – Knowledge x-change for Sustainable Development an initiative by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) supported by the UK Government.