You have to endure some pretty cold weather and a decent amount of snow when you live in Maine. Once it starts to get cold, the days quickly become shorter and shorter. For a period of time, it feels like you are bringing the kids to school and picking them up in the dark.

It’s finally getting to the point where you can be outside at 5:00pm and have a glimmer of daylight left.

While the darkness is a bit on the depressing side, can you imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have electricity?

I remember eating dinner by the light of a headlamp while in Nicaragua. As soon as the sun set, that was the only light we had, with the exception of the fire in the kitchen our host Linda cooked over.

In sub-Saharan Africa, about 7 out of 10 people don’t have access to electricity. Lack of electricity means that kids can’t do their homework at night, families get sick from cooking over fires indoors and hospitals can’t power medical equipment or keep medicine cold.

ONE has teamed up with Scholastic to raise awareness about energy poverty. Using the upcoming change to Daylight Saving Time on March 8, the Life Empowered project introduces the topic of energy poverty to students in grades 3 – 8 across the United States, plus their teachers and families, through lesson plans, student handouts and parent information.

On the Life Empowered website page, you’ll find teacher plans and age-appropriate student handouts for grades 3 – 5 and 6 – 8. There’s also a helpful family handout that guides parents through discussions on energy poverty. The goal is to help students become aware of different cultures and the challenges people face globally. This awareness helps them build appreciation for others and to learn to work together to improve living conditions. Energy  is something students can relate to since they use energy in their own lives.

Students, teachers and parents can also learn about a bill being reviewed by Congress that will provide 50 million people with access to electricity for the first time.

You can learn more at the Life Empowered project page on Scholastic.com and at ONE.org/energypoverty.

Are you aware of energy poverty?

Each Friday, the another jennifer blog shares stories of those who incorporate philanthropy into their everyday lives – personally and professionally – in a creative and unique way. If you have a story you’d like to share, please contact Jennifer. Read past stories here.