Audi Environmental Foundation and Litro de Luz bring solar lighting to remote villages in Brazil
Litro de Luz Brasil is a branch of the global "Liter of Light" movement, an international organization that is represented in over 15 countries. It wants to make life easier by providing sustainable lighting solutions for needy people. With its simple but sustainable solar technology made of materials such as PET bottles and PVC pipes, supplemented by solar panels, rechargeable batteries, and LED lamps, it has already helped over 30,000 residents in remote regions to improve their standard of living.
The partnership between Audi do Brasil, Litro de Luz and the Audi Environmental Foundation started in 2022 with an initiative for 200 communities in the Amazon region. 30 solar masts and over 150 solar lamps were installed there. The campaign benefited a total of over 600 people in the communities of Nova Canaã, Nova Jerusalém and Lindo Amanhecer.
In 2023, the action continued in local indigenous and Caiçara communities on the south coast of the state of São Paulo. Together with locals, 40 volunteers from Audi do Brasil and the NGO Litro de Luz installed 140 lighting systems, including solar lamps and masts with lithium batteries. About 147 families in twelve different communities in the small towns of Cananeia and Ilha do Cardoso benefited from the campaign.
The methodology used by Litro de Luz involves training the inhabitants of the communities to carry out the assembly and installation themselves. Local ambassadors are trained in the communities that represent the organization and they keep in touch with the NGO, because in addition to maintenance by Litro de Luz, the batteries are returned for recycling and replaced at the end.
“This is an extremely valuable project for the communities who receive the sustainable solar solutions as well as for all the volunteers who took part. Bringing light to the Xingu Indigenous Reserve reinforces our purpose and shows us the importance of respecting the origins and beliefs of all human beings. It was an important lesson in a project that was so rewarding to everyone involved,” says Rüdiger Recknagel, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation.
In 2024, villages without permanent access to electricity were again supplied with energy-sustainable lighting solutions. The selected project region was the Lower Xingu Indigenous Reserve in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. From 29 May to 5 June, a total of 20 indigenous communities, 140 families and over 600 residents were equipped with 170 compact lighting and energy solutions, including lamps and solar poles.
"This is the third year of our partnership with Audi do Brasil and the Audi Environmental Foundation, and it certainly is the most challenging. Supplying these 20 communities with solar solutions and getting to know the lives of the indigenous people in the Xingu Reserve in depth is undoubtedly one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life. The project not only brings light to indigenous people, but also shows appreciation for them as the true guardians of the forest," says Rodrigo Eidy, Director of Litro de Luz Brasil.
The project areas were identified using the Litro de Luz database, which lists villages with no or limited access to the regular electricity grid. Together with local leaders, the communities within the Xingu Indigenous Territory were selected, because in these isolated communities the action has a greater impact.
In addition to providing people with sustainable lighting solutions, another goal is to support and value the traditional indigenous culture of the Xingu, which live in one of Brazil's most important environmental conservation areas. They contribute to the preservation of biodiversity, mitigate climate change and provide a reference for the cultures and traditions of the indigenous peoples living there.
