One part paragliding school. One part community center. This was the vision Canadian filmmaker Benjamin Jordan had when he set out to build The School of Dreams back in 2014. Flash forward several years, Jordan’s vision came to life in the village of Mganja, Malawi. Today, his team runs the Dream Lights initiative as a way to bring solar powered light to homes within the local community and further the goals of the school.

Less than 2% of Malawian youth will attend high-school and less than 2% have light in their homes. We believe these numbers are closely linked and are committed to raising the standard of education in Malawi with the distribution of solar powered light for students. The village of Mganja, home to the School of Dreams, is completely off grid and some homes have collected enough money for simple solar light setups. Many, however, are putting their money into schooling and supplies, choosing instead to invest in their children's future. As a result of this financial burden, those that need light the most have been forced to go without.

The "Dream Lights" initiative supports the efforts of hard working students by providing solar powered light, enabling them to complete their homework and helping them to reach their maximum potential in school. Together with Goal Zero, we launched the pilot project in July of 2018, installing kits in ten homes, providing an average of six hours of light per day to a total of 26 students. We're tracking their progress and, if the results are positive, we will propose that another 100 kits be set up so that every student in the village may benefit from this sustainable energy.

Watch the video below for a glimpse into how this initiative came to be. To find out how you can support The School of Dreams, visit http://theschoolofdreams.org.