Weeks after a strong earthquake shook Myanmar on March 28, sending tremors cross Thailand and other parts of Asia, Mandalay, the epicentre of the 7.7-magnitude quake, continued to reel from the natural disaster.

Even as cries for aid rang out, there was one tiny spark of hope. A company had sent solar lights to affected areas in Mandalay as part of a relief package.

Solar lights inside the relief packages to Mandalay to help them in the wake of the earthquake that shook Asia in late March.

Inroads into the country began about three years ago. An Anglican ministry that reaches out to remote villages in the Dawna Range between Myanmar and Thailand was having difficulty getting the locals to open up. Then they chanced upon an idea. They would bless the villagers with the gift of light: Solar lights from this company.

Soulrich Foundation, a Singaporean foundation, gives solar light to 1,100 homes in this Myanmese town which does not have electricity.

Like some 750 million people living in energy-impoverished parts of the world, these villagers had no access to electricity. Once the sun goes down, they would be plunged into darkness. All meaningful activity would have to cease.

Until these children in remote Southeast Asia received the solar lights, they could not do their homework after sundown.

When the missionaries brought them solar-powered lights, it was a game-changer. The solar panels in the lights are charged in the sun for six hours. After that, the lights can be used for two and a half hours, requiring only a battery change after a year and a half. Each solar light has a life span of up to two and a half years.

“With the lights, it helped them not only enter the villages easily, now they can go into the houses. You are giving them light,” Albert Lee, 73, told Salt&Light.

“It is a door-opener, an eye-opener and a heart-opener.”

Albert Lee (right) who pioneered the business with Cheah Swee Hock (left) who helped improve the original model of solar lights.

He was the one who stumbled onto the business of distributing these solar lights, not knowing then that God would use the business to shine the light of Jesus Christ to the remotest parts of the world.

How it all began 

It started with a gift – actually, 70 gifts – in December 2021. Albert’s friend had bought 100 motion-sensor solar lights, generally used to light up gardens. After giving some away, she was left with 70. She offered them to Albert.

“I took it from her and tried to share them with others. After giving out 30, no one else wanted it.

“So I had 40 solar lights sitting around,” recalled Albert.

Then he remembered a friend, Yeo Seng Eng, who heads Care Channels International, a non-profit organisation that works with the poor and marginalised in Asia. Albert offered the solar lights to him and promptly forgot about the whole thing. That was in February of 2022.

One of the homes under Care Channels International doing what they could not have done before they got the solar lights, have dinner together after dark.

In the meantime, Albert was asked to take over a coffee business in North Asia. The café and roastery had begun as a business as missions enterprise nearly two years before the COVID pandemic. Now the organisation that had helped start and fund the business wanted to pull out.  

“I told the Lord, ‘If this big entity cannot continue to do it, how can I do it?’”

Albert had no business experience and no knowledge of the coffee or café industry beyond enjoying a good cuppa. It was while he was pondering the decision that God spoke to him one day.

“He said, ‘If you say that the entity is a giant, then Who am I?’ Of course, when God confronts you like that, you say, ‘I am so sorry.’

“I confessed and repented that I ‘see God no up’ (looked down on Him). I had to take over the business”

That very afternoon, God would show Albert just how much of a giant He is.

A spark of an idea    

It had been two months since Albert had gifted Seng Eng with 40 solar lights for his work in remote Asia. Seng Eng called up that afternoon asking to meet up.

“He told me, ‘The lights you gave me are very good. For the first time my staff can eat dinner and see each other’s faces.’”

Until then, they had depended on candlelight. Seng Eng now wanted 500 more solar lights. Could Albert supply them?

The first model of solar lights which has since been improved.

So Albert set about sourcing for the solar lights online. He found a factory that manufactured the lights, did the math and figured that he could convince his circle of friends to sponsor those 500 lights.

“My mission is to keep them (his friends) poor on earth so they can be rich in heaven,” Albert said with a smile.

Then it dawned on him that he could go directly to the manufacturer and get those lights for a much lower price.

“With all the costings, I realised I could sell the lights even cheaper than those online platforms and still have money left over to fund the coffee business entrusted to me.”

That business had not been doing well because of the closure of the country during the pandemic. The problem was that if Albert were to start a solar lights distribution business to help the coffee business, he would need capital to buy those lights instead of depending on donations from friends.

The light at the end of the tunnel

Four months later, another piece of the puzzle fell into place. It was Albert’s birthday and a few of his friends took him out to celebrate. He shared about his intention to start a solar lights distribution business.

The next day, one of the friends gave him a cheque to pay for the first batch of 2,000 solar lights.

“She bought the lights, pre-paid for them and told me, ‘After you get the lights, you can give it where you want to.’”

Just like that, the solar lights distribution business started, which also helped to fund the business-as-missions work in North Asia.

Cooking under solar light.

“Had we gone the usual way, we would have needed investors to fund the coffee business. It’s not easy to find investors. The coffee business is competitive.

“And even if you get investors, how do you make sure they are aligned with your mission?” said Desmond Tai, 47, whom Albert roped in to help with operational matters. 

Desmond Tai (left) with Albert holding the new model of solar lights.

The business was able to take off also because of good timing. Had the idea come a decade ago, it would have failed because solar light technology then was not as advanced. The solar lamps produced were more expensive and less reliable.

“When we started, solar technology has advanced with efficiency and cost-effectiveness, making it a viable business. The lights we distribute are more stable and failure rate is low,” said Desmond.

Both men agreed that it was God’s timing because when they settled on the idea, they did not know it was a good time to get into the solar lights business.

Added Albert: “Time belongs to the Lord. You can have the best idea but at the wrong time, it wouldn’t work.”

Making a difference to those who need the difference

The solar lights distribution business is more than a money-maker to back the coffee business. It is a ministry in itself.

More than providing light, the solar lights business is meant to pave the way for the Gospel to be shared.

“The Lord showed us that it shouldn’t be about funding alone but about helping missions in remote and risky areas,” said Albert.

The lights are for sale, but for buyers who need additional help, the business will match their purchases with one-for-one deals, effectively giving them the lights at half price.  

In addition, they distribute the lights on behalf of others as well. Each solar light goes for S$12, inclusive of shipping and delivery to Southeast Asia.

“For example, you are concerned about Myanmar and you want to buy 100 lights for them, but you don’t know where exactly to give them to. We find the places in Myanmar and distribute it there for you,” explained Desmond.

“We become a platform for people who want to make a difference to those who need that difference.”

When the lights are distributed on behalf of buyers, the teams takes a photograph of the beneficiary as proof of delivery. This is part of their accountability system.

Through their network of friends and publicity in churches, they have managed to distribute over 110,000 solar lights to 19 countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, East Timor, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Iraq and Sudan in the two and a half years since they started. Albert’s mission is to distribute a million of these light to a world in darkness.

Light to the world

The solar lights have sparked various uses that have opened the door for the Gospel in the remotest of places.

The team aims to transform lives one household at a time by giving the millions without access to electricity a way to carry on life after dark.

In north Vietnam, when some church members received the solar lights, the glow from their homes, the only ones with light, ignited the curiosity of their neighbours. This created an opportunity for the believers to share that the lights were a gift and that more would be handed out during a Christmas gathering. The church was then able to use the solar lights to bless the community and connect with them.

“Truly, a city on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). They became the light of the world,” said Albert.

In central Vietnam, a woman who received a solar light used it to read Bible stories to children in the evening.

The Vietnamese woman reading Bible stories to children by solar light.

In Thailand, a ministry gave out the lights ahead of a Christmas rally in an open field. The lights made it possible for those who received them to attend and enjoy the event.

The solar lights allow outdoor rallies to take place.

In Indonesia, the lights were given out along with children’s Christian books and devotionals. Pastors there use the lights to read the Bible at night after they return from working the farms. In the past, they had often returned after dark and, without a source of light, could not do their devotions at night.

The solar lights are given out to villagers along with the invitations to Gospel rallies.

“One widow cried when she received the solar light because she said it was an answer to her prayers. It allowed her to light up her home instead of having to use use the extra virgin olive oil she made to sell to support her living,” said Desmond.

Added Albert: “The Lord really goes ahead of us.” (John 10:4)

“I think we need to start re-thinking that we are the one responsible to think, plan and do well for God. We must not forget that He goes ahead.

“The Shepherd doesn’t behave like cowboys in the West who drive the cattle from behind with whips and dogs. The Shepherd calls out His own and He goes ahead. His sheep should listen and follow Him.”

Asked if he ever thought the simple idea would take off and create such an impact, Albert said: “No. I was just happy to get rid of those 40 solar lights. It is God who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)

“Without Him, we can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

The glow grows brighter

The team has rolled out an improved model of the solar lights. The original design was a box that could topple if knocked over.

The new model, introduced last July, is smaller and comes with a handle so that it can be hooked onto a wall or ceiling, or turned into a stand for the light to be placed on a table. It also can be used for a longer duration – up to 12 hours. The lifespan has doubled as well to five years.

The new model of solar light comes with a handle that lets you place it on the table without it being easily toppled. The handle allows the light to be hung as well.

Said Desmond: “We asked people for their feedback. Our goal is for people to use the lights and be blessed by them.”

Added Albert: “We believe in giving the best even to the poorest of the poor. We don’t want to disgrace our God by giving something inferior.”

Even in upgrading the solar lights, the team saw God’s providence. To work with the manufacturer to finetune the design, they needed someone who knew the technicalities of solar lights.

“God sent someone to help us,” Desmond told Salt&Light.

They were introduced to Cheah Swee Hock, the former Deputy Director of the School of Engineering at Temasek Polytechnic.

“While pursuing his Master’s in Australia in the 1980s, he chose solar technology as his major and began learning how to make solar cells. He was fascinated by the idea that energy could be produced from silicon, though he never anticipated that one day he would be using this technology to help the poor.

“God doesn’t just go ahead, He goes far ahead,” said Albert.

Swee Hock (right) working on the new model of solar lights.

Plans are afoot to create larger solar lights that can light a hall for some 40 people. The current light can light a small room.

Said Albert: “My hope is that this business can continue. If we can even get 10% of those homes who need lights, we would be lighting up 10 million homes and creating opportunities to share the true Light to the world.”

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