Liter of Light Brazil
Lighting Brazil, one bottle at a time!
Results
Litro de Luz Brasil began in 2014 and has already directly impacted more than 40,000 people, with the ongoing support of 200 volunteers and the installation of over 5,000 solar solutions. By always teaching and assembling the solutions together with residents of the country’s most vulnerable communities, the organization operates in urban centers and rural areas, including traditional communities such as riverside, quilombola, and Indigenous groups.
Present in all five regions of Brazil, Litro de Luz Brasil brings solar lighting to communities without access to electricity or without street lighting through solar lamp posts, lanterns, and solutions made from simple materials such as PET bottles and PVC pipes, along with solar panels, batteries, and LED lights.
Worldwide, more than 1 million people have already been impacted by Liter of Light, a project recognized with major awards such as the World Habitat Awards (by the United Nations) and the Zayed Energy Prize, often referred to as the Nobel Prize of sustainable energy.
To see where these initiatives take place in practice and to explore the impact of Litro de Luz Brasil in each territory, check out the interactive map below. There, you can navigate through regions, locate the communities served, and view details about the actions carried out.
Impact Results
We believe in the transformation that lighting can provide. More than a practical solution, it represents safety, autonomy, and new possibilities. Litro de Luz Brasil not only lights pathways, but also strengthens bonds, inspires change, and actively contributes to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves.
But who are these people? Who stands behind the numbers and statistics? Our commitment goes beyond installing sustainable lighting solutions: we seek to know, understand, and respect the stories of those impacted by our work.
To make this impact clearer, we have organized our results into categories that reflect the different dimensions of transformation observed in the communities.
The first is the Safety category, which includes outcomes such as reduced risk of crime, animal attacks, falls, and traffic accidents, as well as an increased sense of security among residents and visitors. It also encompasses the reduction of household accidents related to lack of lighting, such as falls, fires, and incidents during food preparation and consumption.
The Mobility category shows how lighting expands people’s circulation in the served areas and facilitates access to services and public spaces within the community, strengthening the collective use of the territory.
In the Economic category, we observe improvements such as increased productive capacity, with more hours of light at home and greater opportunities for nighttime travel for work and study, as well as income growth among residents and ambassadors involved in the initiatives.
The Community Engagement category highlights the strengthening of relationships among residents, encouraging interaction, dialogue, and collective organization to improve their own community.
In Volunteering, we emphasize the growth of participants’ social capital, as they engage with people from different regions and realities, as well as the strengthening of a culture of volunteerism as a transformative practice.
Finally, the Education category includes impacts such as encouraging ambassadors to pursue further training, expanding residents’ educational levels and technical skills, and enabling people to study at night thanks to improved lighting.
This information was compiled from action records, interviews with residents, local monitoring by ambassadors, and documentation of installed solutions—allowing us to consolidate both quantitative data and qualitative insights about the changes observed.
25
communities were served across Brazil
+29,440
volunteering hours were completed
90
new ambassadors were trained
+410
solar solutions were implemented
70%
of new volunteers identify as women
3,461
people directly impacted by new actions
9
lighting actions were carried out
44%
new volunteers identify as mixed-race, Black, or Indigenous
+40,000
people continuously impacted directly
Ambassadors
Being an Ambassador of Litro de Luz Brasil means being a guardian of transformative light. It means connecting people, building trust, and making it possible for light to continue generating social impact in everyday life—bringing safety, dignity, and a better quality of life to everyone.
The Ambassador works directly within the community, representing Litro de Luz to residents—and residents to Litro de Luz. They serve as a bridge for communication, dialogue, and active listening, helping translate needs, share information, and strengthen the bond between the community and lighting solutions.
More than taking care of lamp posts and lanterns, the Ambassador takes care of relationships. They encourage a sense of belonging, the responsible use of resources, and collective responsibility for what belongs to everyone.
Main Roles of the Ambassador
The Ambassador is the primary link between Litro de Luz and the community. They maintain close contact with residents, provide updates on the status of lighting solutions, and help organize Litro’s actions within the territory.
They also share information, guide the proper use of the lighting systems, and contribute to coexistence, cooperation, and collective care. As someone recognized within the community, their role strengthens trust, dialogue, and people’s engagement.
The Ambassador as a Community Leader
Ambassadors are essential for Litro de Luz’s work within communities. They collaborate, coordinate, and make continuous access, connection, and communication with residents possible.
By taking on this role, the Ambassador develops leadership skills, gains recognition, and helps strengthen their community in a lasting way. Being an Ambassador means committing to represent Litro de Luz with responsibility, presence, and care—keeping not only the installed light shining, but also the bonds that sustain transformation.
Our Way Methodology
Litro de Luz operates through its own methodology, called “Our Way,” certified by Fundação Banco do Brasil as a social technology. This methodology enables the mobilization of volunteers, community mapping, understanding local needs, and training residents to install, replicate, and maintain the technology.
Throughout this process, local leaders are identified and trained as Ambassadors, who then represent the organization within their communities. This model ensures community engagement and guarantees that the initiative creates a lasting impact. Below is a simplified version of the methodology:
1
Community Search and Selection
Constant search for feeding the National Community Database, with predetermined data.
2
Local Approach
Beginning of closer contact within the community, getting to know leaders and community members, to introduce Litro de Luz Brazil and understand their needs.
3
Strengthening of Leadership
Formation of Ambassadors who will learn the construction and maintenance of the solutions, becoming representatives of Litro de Luz in the community.
4
Action
Day of assembly and installation of the solutions in partnership with the community.
5
Post-Action
Monitoring the operation of solutions and the community's situation, to maintain the impact.