Every Light Has a Story

Since 2023, I have documented how solar energy changes evening life across rural Malawi, from first light in individual homes to Kasakula reaching universal household access.

Energy access becomes meaningful through daily use. A light changes how a family moves through the evening, how a child studies, how long a shop remains open and how safely people navigate their homes.

Since 2023, SolarAid has commissioned me to document these changes across rural Malawi. The work has followed families switching on electric light for the first time, entrepreneurs extending their working hours, women building solar businesses and technicians installing and maintaining the systems behind that access.

Kennedy Buleya used his first evening with solar light to continue grading soya after returning from the field. Saidi Sanduka kept his grocery shop open after dark. The Mayi Wala stories followed women distributing solar products locally, connecting energy access with enterprise, mentorship and financial independence.

Solar lighting reveals its value when daylight ends. I continued photographing through late afternoon, blue hour and night, when families switched on lights, children opened their books and businesses continued operating.

In August 2025, SolarAid recorded every household in Traditional Authority Kasakula as connected to a solar home system through its Light a Village programme. The milestone included 8,813 households, twelve schools and one health clinic.

Over five field days, I documented homes, schools, the health centre and the local repair system through photography, filmed interviews, observational footage and aerial views. The work connected individual experience to the wider delivery system.