Coming Alongside Hope with Light
Solar Suitcases in Mozambique and Madagascar
And God said, “Let there be light… and that light was good.” – Genesis 1:3
It’s no secret, babies don’t check the clock when it’s time to be born. Day or night, birth happens. But in off-grid communities in Mozambique and Madagascar, nighttime deliveries can be incredibly risky. Without electricity, many women won’t even attempt the journey to a clinic after dark.
That’s where you – and a bright yellow Solar Suitcase – come in.
This life-saving case is mounted on a clinic wall, connected to a solar panel on the roof, and powered by the sun. The case holds everything a birth attendant needs to support a safe delivery: bright LED lights, a fetal Doppler, headlamps, phone chargers, and real peace of mind for labouring women. With your help, these suitcases change lives.
Our goal is to install 35 Solar Suitcases in Mozambique and 14 in Madagascar, bringing clean, reliable power to 49 clinics where women and babies deserve the very best care, no matter the hour.
Each Solar Suitcase costs $6,500 (Cdn). Our goal is to raise $320,000 – and thanks to a generous donor, every dollar you give before October 31, 2025 will be matched up to $150,000. That means your impact could double.
Ready to shine?
Donate now and bring life-giving light to women and babies.
Your gift matters
Without light, even basic care becomes difficult. Health workers are forced to use flashlights or cell phones, sometimes held in their mouths, to deliver babies. It’s not safe, and it’s not right.
Midwife Ancha Amido Abdala has seen the difference firsthand:
“Before the Solar Suitcase was installed, Muripotana Health Centre did not operate at night. Even the maternity ward remained closed because people were afraid of snakes, and it was unsafe; there was a high risk of robberies during the early morning hours. Everything became difficult; there was no way to handle medical materials in the dark.”
That changed when Alongside Hope and We Care Solar installed a Solar Suitcase in 2022.
“When a patient arrives at night, we don’t need phone flashlights or lamps. During rainy times, it charges a little, and that charge helps us too.”
One mother shared: “I gave birth at night… I felt very happy because I could see what the nurse was doing.”
Solar Suitcases work.
Since our first installations in 2016, more than 80,000 babies have been safely delivered in off-grid clinics, many in the middle of the night. In some districts, night deliveries increased 17.5 times because women now trust they’ll be cared for in safe, well-lit spaces.
Now, you can help us complete coverage in every Ministry of Health clinic in Nampula province (Mozambique), and begin our next chapter with a new partner, PIVOT in Madagascar.
Come Alongside Hope with Light in three powerful ways:
Pray
Join us in prayer for labouring women, midwives, birth attendants and every child born into the light:
God who proclaimed, “Let there be light,” who saw that the light was good, who calls us to light and life, be with women who labour to bring life into the world in the dark of night. Jesus, who in the beginning was life, ‘and that life was the light of all people,’ be with the babies born of women who labour in the dark to bring new life and light into the world. Spirit who comes like a flame among us, by your light, help us to see you in every labouring mother, in every baby born to light and life. In your name, we pray. Amen.
Share this prayer in your home, church, or small group.
Act
Gather your community to raise $6,500 (Cdn), enough funds for one Solar Suitcase! Our Fundraising Toolkit has lots of materials to use: a PowerPoint presentation, talking points, bulletin announcements and flyers. You can also join or start a Wild Ride team. Cycle, knit, sing, canoe – whatever brings you joy – as long as it raises awareness and support for Solar Suitcases. Rally your community and let your creativity shine. Learn more about the Wild Ride here.
Give
Give now and your donation will be matched up to $150,000, doubling your impact.
You can make it possible for health care providers to truly deliver hope. You can help families welcome new life safely. Your compassion can transform darkness into possibility.
How to Give
Online: Give Now
By phone: 1-866-308-7973
By mail:
Alongside Hope
80 Hayden Street, 3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2
(Please indicate “Solar suitcase” on your cheque.)
