Plastic bottles, water and bleach light up lives in Kenyan slums.

In this maze of windowless tin shacks, school classes are often held outside because even in daytime it is too dark to see the blackboard. Now a youth group is hoping some two-litre plastic bottles filled with water and bleach can brighten Kenya's slums.

The soda bottle-as-lightbulb was first discovered in Brazil by mechanic Alfredo Moser in 2002. In the decade since, tens of thousands of people who can't afford electricity or other sources of light like candles have converted to the water bottle lightpoint.

When the bottle is hung through a hole in the roof and filled with water and bleach, the bottle refracts sunlight and can produce as much light as a 50- or 60-watt bulb.

Veronica Wanjiru (24), a mother of two, said even illegal electrical hookups, candles and paraffin were too expensive for many in the Korogocho slums. Her 11-year-old and five-year-old had to do their homework outside and in a rush before the sunset. Now that she has a water bulb, it can even produce light at night during a full moon.

The youth group called Koch Hope has been so successful in installing water bulbs for people like Wanjiru that it's now struggling to meet demand. The group installed the first 100 bulbs for free in April in hopes of attracting attention from donors and expanding the project.

During electricity shortages in Uberaba, Sao Paulo in 2002, Mr. Moser discovered that hanging a plastic bottle full of water from his roof brought in extra light. The idea behind Mr. Moser's simple invention known in different places as solar water bulb or water bulb has spread to slum dwellers in at least three continents.

In the Philippines, a non-governmental organisation is attempting to use the solar water bulb to brighten one million homes by next year. The project is known as “Isang Litrong Liwanag,” which translates to “A Litre of Light”.

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