Adding to these challenges, the rural poor without access to electricity either spend relatively large amounts of their scarce financial resources on energy, or a disproportionate amount of time collecting firewood. The benefits that electricity access brings to households and communities are justified not only on social and economic grounds but also on grounds of equity objectives. For over 30 years the World Bank and other organisations have studied the social benefits of electricity access and have noted that these benefits usually derive from the longer days that powered light bulbs offer to the household. When electricity is used for powering home appliances, household chores tend to become less tedious; when it is used for lighting, the relative brightness of the light bulb as opposed to candle light allows children to read or study in the later hours of the day, bringing obvious education and leisure benefits (Barnes, 2007).