Mobile phones are vital for refugees: they provide essential information and allow communication with families. Yet, the simple act of recharging he mobiles is often a challenge for refugees - as well as a potential issue for the local municipalities that need to provide this service.

To address this, Samuel Kellerhals - a UWC Atlantic College alumnus class 2012-2014 - and his friend Alex, supported by the University of Edinburgh, have developed Project Elpis: a solar-generated charging station that delivers free electricity for charging mobile phones in refugee camps. The unit provides solar-generated electricity charging up to 12 mobile devices simultaneously per hour free of charge (120 per day/3600 devices per month). Installing the stations can reduce pressure on local municipalities to provide these services to people in need. Furthermore, it allows refugees to seek out important information through their mobile phones, reducing susceptibility to fraud, clarifying rumours and giving them a higher chance of resettlement.

The team has already tested the solar charging station in a refugee camp set up in the old airport of Athens. A permanent unit has also been installed in the Kara Tepe camp in Lesvos. There are also agreements to set up a second charging station in a refugee camp in Malakasa near Athens. Alex and Samuel are now exploring further locations and have three more units in production.

This innovative project was selected as a finalist at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative’s Resolution Project Pitching competition at the University of Berkeley in April 2016.

The University of Edinburgh has provided funding to cover travel and accommodation expenses for the team whilst in Greece, and the non-profit organisation Heartbeat has provided initial seed funding for 2 units, which was vital to start the pilot this month.

To continue financing their project, the UWC alumnus and his friend have now started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo and they are now looking to expand their channels of funding through NGOs and companies involved in the response towards the refugee crisis.

For more information about Project Elpis, visit the website www.projectelpis.org. You can also contribute to fund the project via https://elpissolar.com/.