STUDENTS at Hunter Sports High School have helped illuminate the futures of kids living in energy poverty in Papua New Guinea.
Year 8 students Emma McCallum and Bridgette Mahony joined their classmates to give the gift of light - building solar powered units for families plunged into darkness each night or relying on potentially toxic kerosene lamps to do their homework.
"We're building the lights for kids who aren't as fortunate as us and they need some help," Bridgette said.
"It made me feel grateful for the life we're given.
"I feel like we're doing a really small thing, but it's going to really make their day and it's going to help them throughout life to help them get to a better point and break the cycle of poverty."
The SolarBuddy initiative is run by Origin Energy Foundation volunteers, along with the lights, students write letters to those who will receive them about life in Australia.
The lights have to be waterproof, as students often have to walk long distances to and from school in the wet season.
Hunter Sports High School deputy principal Rob Jovanovski said it's a great opportunity for the students to give back.
It's the third time the school has run the program, science teacher Julie Burke said.
"A lot of these kids when they go home only have kerosene lighting and the fumes off that can make them really sick," she said.
"This is a really good alternative so when they go home they can still do their schoolwork and study.
"The kids actually walk away feeling really proud of what they've done."
According to the World Bank Group, almost 10 per cent of the world's population live in energy poverty, limiting their education and damaging their health.
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