The world shines because of her light — an 18-year-old’s solar lamps help 100 Cambodian families

▲The moment the lights came on, so did the smiles on their faces. (Photo provided by Huang B-Xian, all others below are the same)

Reported by You T-Ru / Taipei

The moment the lights came on, so did the smiles on their faces. Huang B-Xian, a senior high school student from Zuoying High School in Taiwan, initiated the “Light Love Little Sun Project” to raise funds for solar lamps in impoverished Cambodian villages. So far, she has helped 100 families, bringing light and hope to different lives in the darkness. Huang said that from the initial shock to actually helping the locals firsthand, there were many moments of gratitude and awe. “I realized how fortunate life in Taiwan is.”


▲%Ji Qi-Xian (second from right) and four teammates initiated the “Light Love Little Sun Project” to raise funds for solar lamps in impoverished Cambodian villages.


In 2012, while volunteering in Cambodia with the E-Leaders International Service, she visited four impoverished local villages. “The Cambodia I had imagined was the beautiful Angkor described by Jiang Xun, but when I actually arrived, the shock was immense.” Walking from the bustling city streets into the local villages, houses made of simple thatch and wooden planks leaned beside dirt roads. “I was afraid that even a slight touch might make their homes collapse.”

Describing the homes as being “afraid they might collapse at any moment,” Huang B-Xian expressed her heartfelt concern for the villagers. Life in the villages was extremely basic — often just a shaky wooden table stacked with simple meals, residents sleeping on the floor, relying on a few thin blankets and thatched roofs to shield from wind and rain. Children had no clothes to wear, running and playing naked around the village. “This is nothing like our homes, with no sofas or TVs, not even any lights.”

After returning to Taiwan, Huang once read a report about how solar lamps were helping people in remote poor villages. Inspired, she decided to take action. Together with four friends, she launched the Little Sun Project. They began by introducing the project to their parents, relatives, and friends. Over two years, they raised NT$220,000, then traveled back to Cambodia to purchase solar lamps for 50 families, along with supplies like bottled water, rice, and stationery. The locally-based E-Leaders International Service, with deep roots in Cambodia, assessed the needs of the residents before distributing the lamps.


▲%Ji An Ben Tan Wei Qian Li De Na Qie Yi Duan, Wo Kan Dao Ta Men Chuan Shang De Xian Qing. Huang B-Xian said.


“The moment I taught them how to turn on the lights, I saw the smiles on their faces,” Huang said. With the help of a translator, she guided 50 families through the process of charging and turning on the lamps. Every time they pressed the switch, she witnessed unrestrained smiles. “It was deeply moving, and I hoped to make a difference in their lives.” In early 2015, Huang and her teammates applied for a Dream Realization Project grant, securing another NT$200,000 to return to Cambodia and deliver 50 more lamps to another 50 families, reaching their goal of lighting up 100 homes.

Thanks to a single solar lamp, the world of the locals was truly brightened. Huang said that initially, she was afraid that upon revisiting the village, she might see broken lamps lying on the ground. But during the follow-up visit, one mother shared how her children could now read a few more pages in the evening, how mothers could engage in handicrafts, and how villagers could patrol the area or tend to their fields without having to do so in the dark.

When asked, “Aren’t you afraid of not getting into a good university because you spent time in Cambodia?” Huang said she was deeply hurt at the time, but the support from her parents and teammates gave her the greatest motivation. Only by creating change firsthand can one truly understand the world.Huang also received the Prudential Goodwill Ambassador Award for initiating the Light Love Little Sun Project. Taiwanese youth, through hands-on international experiences, can use their observations and efforts to make a meaningful impact on the world.

%Ji Qi-Xian also received the Goodwill Ambassador Award for launching the Light Love Little Sun Project.