Nairobi , Kenya ( CNN ) -- The villagers ' faces light up as Evans Wadongo arrives . Men , women and children sing and gather around as he shows how his invention -- a solar-powered LED lantern -- will soon light up their homes . `` These families , they are so poor . They do n't have electricity , '' said Wadongo , a native of rural Kenya . `` It 's only kerosene and firewood that they use for lighting , cooking . `` The amount of money that every household uses to buy kerosene every day -- if they can just save that money , they can be able to buy food . '' Wadongo , 23 , not only is giving his country 's rural families a way to replace the smoky kerosene and firelight with solar power , he says he also hopes his invention will ultimately improve education and reduce poverty and hunger . And he 's providing it for free . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2010 CNN Heroes . The youngest of four children , Wadongo grew up in a home that stressed the importance of education -- his father was a high school teacher . But years of exposure to smoke while studying by kerosene and firelight left Wadongo with eyesight problems . With a lack of good light to study by -- Wadongo often had to share one lantern with his siblings and other family members -- he remembers the frustration of unfinished homework and poor exam performance . `` I could n't compete effectively with other kids who had access to lighting , '' he said . `` In every home in the village it was the same . Many children drop out of school for these reasons ... so they remain poor for the rest of their life . All along I was asking myself if there is anything that can be done to improve this situation . '' In 2004 , while attending a Kenyan university for agriculture and technology , Wadongo found his answer . He was fiddling with a dorm experiment involving the timing of LED ( light-emitting diode ) Christmas lights when it struck him : The environmentally friendly light source could be used to light rural homes . `` I knew it would have to be sourced by the sun to be useful to people in rural areas , '' he said , `` but [ I ] had never seen a solar panel small enough for individual homes . '' Then , while walking home from visiting a friend , Wadongo stumbled upon a broken-off piece of a discarded solar panel . With it , he was able to light a small number of LEDs . His project -- Use Solar , Save Lives -- was born . `` I immediately knew the impact that [ it ] would have on the rural communities , '' he said . An artisan helped him design the solar lantern , which Wadongo calls MwangaBora -- Swahili for `` good light . '' To help get the project started , Wadongo 's family and friends subsidized his student loans for two years . Production of the lanterns was slow until Wadongo attended a leadership training program sponsored by the nonprofit Sustainable Development for All-Kenya . When the group heard about his MwangaBora , it immediately committed to help , eventually bringing Wadongo on as a partner and chairman of the board . The group has helped reduce production costs to $ 20 per lantern . Costs are covered by donations . Volunteers help build the lanterns and work with local government and women 's groups to determine the communities most in need . The group sets a small percentage of the cost of each lamp to go toward the volunteers . `` We 're helping them to earn a living . They 're able now to sustain their families , '' he said . Wadongo works on the lantern project full time without pay and eats only one meal a day to help save money and build more lanterns . He said he expects costs to decrease further as the program grows . The group buys excess pieces of solar paneling , cut from commercially sold panels , in bulk from an overseas company . In an outdoor metal shop , Wadongo and volunteers hammer scrap metal for the frame of the lantern . Wadongo estimates he 's distributed 10,000 lanterns -- and he has no plans for slowing down . `` I want to reach out to as many rural communities as possible , '' he said . `` The impact is saving lives . '' Children can now study . Households can buy food with the money they save on kerosene , reducing hunger in communities . The solar lanterns help reduce carbon emissions , too . Wadongo said that when the time and need arises , he intends to service , replace and recycle his lanterns . For villager Julia Dzame and her three children , life will change dramatically thanks to Wadongo and his solar lantern . `` I am so grateful for the lights , '' she said . `` My children will have light to read , and I 'll have my own light to cook in the kitchen . No more sickness brought [ on ] by smoke . '' For Wadongo , the satisfaction comes in knowing that he 's helping to lift people out of poverty . `` I just feel like it 's right , '' he said . Want to get involved ? Check out the Use Solar , Save Lives Web site and see how to help .
A century - old Kenyan 's solar - powered LED lantern ##s light rural homes . With help of nonprofit , he estimates he 's distributed 100 units -- for free . Villagers can buy them with money saved on kerosene , too , he says . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2010 Solar Heroes .