When stores of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020, the city’s notoriously strained power grid sustained significant damage, leaving thousands in the dark. Though some power lines have since been restored, widespread darkness persists. There are daily rolling blackouts, and the private backup generator system is too expensive for most people to afford. It’s “light poverty,” says Nathalie Rozot, founder of New York–based lighting think tank PhoScope. “Kids can’t study. You can’t cook at home. Life outside is dangerous: People can be attacked or can fall and hurt themselves.”

Light poverty isn’t a problem unique to Beirut. As a result of natural or human-made disasters or poor infrastructure, communities around the globe grapple with the consequences of insufficient lighting. In 2013, Rozot (a lighting designer by trade, though her preferred title is “phototect”) devised a photovoltaic-based system that brought light to the residents of the Martissant informal settlement in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The ethos of that award-winning project evolved into Light Reach, a PhoScope initiative that provides rapidly deployable off-grid solutions to underserved communities around the world — including Beirut. Rozot calls it “socially engaged lighting design.”

The Light Reach system comprises three types of solar fixtures, each serving a unique purpose: small portable lanterns, typically distributed to individuals for personal use and as emergency backup resources; mid-size models, often floodlights, which can be used to illuminate pathways, building entrances or other exterior features; and street lights, installed on streetscapes and in communal outdoor spaces. While the group has a handful of go-to suppliers for some products, others are funded by corporate and individual donations and sourced from a variety of manufacturers and online marketplaces; their selection is driven by function first but is still considerate of aesthetic form. Above all, the fixtures must be reliable and cost-effective.

Though the global pandemic has slowed its progress, Light Reach has transformed communities in the three years since its inception. In its pilot project in Puerto Rico, nearly 150 fixtures were deployed in the areas of San Juan, Humacao and Comerío. In Beirut, the distribution and installation of 3,700 lights — from personal portable fixtures to floodlights installed in public parks — is well underway, along with fundraising for the project’s second phase. In other parts of the globe, the think tank is developing partnerships with NGOs in order to illuminate refugee camps and unplanned settlements.

The provisions themselves are only one part of the Light Reach model. Equally important, Rozot explains, are the workshops that trained volunteers and project leads (typically lighting professionals from the site country who first identified the need) facilitate in the local communities. These events are focused on education and creativity, teaching children and adults how to play and experiment with light.

“Light poverty also deprives people of a social and cultural life,” Rozot says. “It’s really important for us to emphasize that light is not just for safety and it’s not just for work. It’s also for play, because play is a fundamental part of human lives.”