Over 300,000 people die of burns globally every year,
and 95% of these deaths, disabilities and disfigurements occur in
developing countries. Some of them are kerosene burns due to its wide use
in homes lacking electricity. In some countries, dreadful burns are caused
by unsafe kerosene lamps that are used by some of these poor families. As the
provision of electricity to them is too slow, there is a need for a simple and
quick solution for this ‘burning’ problem. This website describes the ‘Safe Bottle
Lamp Project’ launched in Sri Lanka in 1992. It is the brain child of Dr Wijaya
Godakumbura, a surgeon who is more involved in ‘prevention of injuries’
than in the practice of surgery. He designed a simple safe lamp
that could be easily mass produced at low cost using recycled glass,
and his NGO distributes these lamps free to the
poor. They have been able to distribute 800,000 of their
‘Sudeepa’ safe lamps to date (May 2010). You too could
help to make a difference in the lives of
those poor people who are at risk.