Michael and Peter's Story
Electricity is something that we easily take for granted here in the UK. However, in rural Sierra Leone, electricity is unpredictable. Many children, after helping their parents with farming or market work, return home late, making it difficult to complete their homework due to the lack of light. This often leads to reduced study hours, forcing some students to drop out of education.

Recognising this challenge, two young innovators, Michael and Peter, sought to make a difference. Peter developed an idea to provide a reliable light source to tackle this problem. Their invention was a backpack, equipped with a solar panel, which generates electricity to power a light for studying and an alarm system for children's safety when they are travelling home in the dark.

Money raised through Restless Development has been used to support this project, with 150 solar-powered backpacks being made, serving students in rural communities. The team has also trained 80 young