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SUNNY PROJECTS

This newsletter is in French. Please click here to translate this newsletter.

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Ce sont des images du clip si fort "Sabali". Des jeunes migrants Sénégalais se libèrent d’un camp. Cette musique de Amadou et Mariam, puis de DJ Snake qui utilise son succès inter-planétaire pour parler des migrants. “Sabali” signifie “Patience”. Ce clip vu par plus d’1 million de gens raconte l’exil parce qu’ici c’est trop pauvre pour rester.

Les migrants risquent tout.

Là, c’est une image du fils des fermiers de la ferme, celle qu’on voit là-haut, au-dessus de ce mur de la honte construit pour empêcher le passage des migrants, à Tecate, à la frontière mexicaine avec les Etats-Unis. Sous la photo installée par le photographe JR un grand pique-nique a été organisé un jour, les gens se passant les œufs durs et le sel entre les barreaux.

Voici des paroles de IAM, célèbre groupe de rap marseillais. "Nous".

"Génération, lassée d’être blasée
Métissés, métèques ou basanés
On marche avec des trous au fond des poches
Mais on grimpe aux barbelés par la force, ouais. "

Tout ça parle de nous tous. Nous sommes tous des migrants, de cette génération ou d’une génération précédente.

De mon côté sicilien, ce ne sont que des histoires de migration. C’est dans le sang, c’est comme ça. Partir quand tu n’as rien, t’en aller chercher mieux, et ça n’a rien de romanesque, rien.

C’est dangereux, c’est compliqué, c’est dur.

Je me suis souvent dit avec Lytefire que si on arrivait à installer un peu plus d’artisans solaires dans les villages d’Afrique, on arriverait peut-être à relancer quelque chose de local, à taille humaine. Tout en évitant de détruire les forêts. Du moins ce qu’il en reste.

Au plus les fascistes avancent, au plus je me le dis et pour une fois je crois même que j’ai raison. Je crois même que je vais voir ça de mon vivant. Ouais.

Il y a tout un tas d’obstacles-barbelés à dépasser, c’est sûr, mais on va y arriver.

On est l’humanité, et rien ne nous a jamais arrêté d’aimer et de s’entraider.

Merci aux artistes incroyables qui nous le rappellent.

Merci à toutes les utilisatrices et les utilisateurs de Lytefire, merci à nos clients, nous soutiens, tous nos amis.

Bonne année bon sang.

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• Lien vers le clip de DJ Snake (YouTube)
• Lien vers le travail de JR au Mexique
• Lien vers “Nous” de IAM (YouTube)
• Lien vers les projets de petites boulangeries solaires en cours au Kenya avec le soutien de la Fondation Primesteps Jansen (Lytefire Blog)

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This newsletter is meant to inform you about our company, the spread of Lytefire solar thermal solutions and the educational programs. If you do not wish to receive it, you can unsubscribe below. Your newsletter data is not used for anything other than receiving this newsletter. See our Privacy Policy and General Terms © 2026 Lytefire Oy - Toimitilat Tampere Crazy Town Pakkahuoneenaukio 2 - 33100 Tampere - Finland

SUNNY PROJECTS

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We have received a great support from a Swiss Foundation, a heart warming prize and we’re happy to see more Lytefires in use. Here is our latest sunny news for you!

→ Six new solar bakeries thanks to the Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation

We are happy and honored to start a new project in East Africa with the trust and support of the Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation. The foundation is focused on poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship, and with this new project PrimeSteps is going to help us elevate our work and increase our impact in Kenya.

A few years ago, the Foundation already supported the empowerment of women’s groups in Burkina Faso. For this new project, we will provide our usual training that covers the technical aspects of the technology (use, maintenance, safety) and the basis of entrepreneurship training will cover stock management, accounting, customer acquisition, among the many other topics, to enable each group to succeed as independent entrepreneurs. For the best success of the entrepreneurs, the project will also provide incubation support beyond the initial training, to troubleshoot any entrepreneurial challenges during the startup phase. We believe this incubator approach is more and more the way Lytefire will structure our impact-oriented work.

Image credit: Jansen PrimeSteps Foundation’s website

Every Lytefire installed can protect 651 m² of forest each year from being cut down for fuel. Learn more about our impact here and about our educational work here.

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→ Prix Afrique Excellence: Joan Arwa’s Solar Fire Bakery is a winner

Le Prix Afrique Excellence is a French prize organized by an association created by Mr Christian Teyssonnière de Gramont. The goal is to highlight Africa’s skills and solutions adapted to people’s contexts. It aims to bring to light good innovations, practices and business models that reinforce the local African economy in a sustainable way. A financial donation is given to the 3 winners.

A total of 68 great projects have been submitted for this year’s edition.

Announcement (in French): “Le Prix Afrique Excellence tient à remercier les participants au Concours qui se sont portés candidats. Ils sont au nombre de 68.

This support is a fantastic recognition of Joan’s hard work over the last five years to make her Solar Fire Bakery dream come true. With her as the chief baker, Cheryl and the team of bakery assistants and sales persons, Joan also recently obtained the Kenyan Bureau of Standard’s KEBS-certification granting her access to more markets, such as schools, hospitals, and more. With the Prize’s financial support, she’ll be able to invest in a better transportation solution. This is of course also a beautiful recognition of Lytefire’s team’s hard work to spread new business models.

In Kisumu, Kenya, Joan was recently able to paint her new shop

This is of course also a beautiful recognition of Lytefire’s team’s hard work to spread new business models. In the team, Eva Wissenz, Urs Riggenbach and Muriel Fuhrer in particular have been supporting Joan’s journey over the last years.

Joan, Eva, Urs and Muriel

To learn more about Afrique Excellent and submit a project next year (in French only), check their website : https://www.afrique-excellence.com/

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→ Lytefire in Senegal with ADSCAL

Thanks to the ADSCAL Association and especially thanks to the extraordinary persistence of Mr Mouhamadou Touré, 4 solar ovens have been delivered in the village of Agnam. So many things have been delayed with this project but in the end, everything went well and the solar ovens will greatly improve the villager’s daily life. Three ovens are going to equip existing bakeries. One will go to a group of skilled women baking biscuits and cakes.

First solar oven installed by Michel and Isma

Mr Michel Mouillé, a very skilled trainer, delivered a short training on-site to install the first unit, show the maintenance, safety and usage. With the local help of Mr Abou Sow and Mr Isma Bah, they have solved a few challenges on the way, found solutions and always kept a positive spirit.

A good team of builders and change makers in Senegal

Due to delay in the transportation, the training had to be shortened but the first solar baking tests are showing encouraging results.

We will see how the villagers are going to use their solar ovens but if the 4 Lytefires are used 255 days a year to bake 40 kg of bread per day (which represents 272’000 150g baguettes), we estimate that they will prevent 66 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere. They will save 288 trees from being cut down and protect the equivalent of 2,604 m² of forest. These figures will be compared with data records and we’ll share about it.

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→ Lytefire in France

Manon and Quentin are now in their second summer of using Lytefire community cooker for food canning and training people to learn how to do so. They are using direct concentrated energy as well as an improved cookstove, which is great.

“We transformed our first summer vegetables into zucchini and mint cream, zucchini pickles, and eggplant caviar. Nearly 1,000 organic solar jars will soon be available at a nearby farm and on a weekly local market.”

Conserverie Fourmi is a project that we love to highlight because of their great approach based on learning by doing, great preparation and cooperation.

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→ Lytefire and you

This year, Lytefire’s team has already installed 18 big solar ovens in Kenya, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Angola, and Sri Lanka (soon). And the year isn’t over yet.

People are adapting to their new equipment. They change the baking and cooking organization. They make money locally. They stop cutting trees or using fossil fuels 10 months a year.

It is good but it is not enough if we really want to make an impact.

Stop reading the depressing news. Be part of the solutions.

Support our work by 1. Sharing our news in your network, 2. Contact us for a project or put us in touch with motivated people.

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This newsletter is meant to inform you about the spread of Lytefire solar thermal solutions and the educational programs. If you do not wish to receive it, you can unsubscribe below. Your newsletter data is not used for anything other than receiving this newsletter. See our Privacy Policy and General Terms © 2025 Lytefire Ltd - Crazy Town - Rautatienkatu 21 C, 33100 Tampere - Finland.

SUNNY PROJECTS

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We are finally catching up with updates on the different projects we have been working on these last months in Mozambique, Kenya, Madagascar, Guinea Bissau, Angola, Ethiopia and Mexico. The website is updated and you can have a look here.

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→ Lytefire in Kenya with Word Vision

Joan Arwa surrounded by the training participants and solar bakers

As you know, Joan Arwa is successfully running her solar bakery in Kisumu. Not far from there, in Sego, she recently trained a great group supported by World Vision for the Noswet program. The group members have known each other for years and are very appreciated in the community.

Proud solar bakers from Sego’s group

As per their report: “The group has over 30 members and they chose 5 to be working in the bakery at all times. They open early morning and close late evening for 6 days of the week, each day they bake 25kgs of bread, scones and cakes.

“This community based group serves various clients ranging from bakery walk-in customers, to nearby retail shops, and schools who give orders in bulk.

“Being a long rainy season they have currently been substituting sunlight energy with charcoal backup as they continue serving clients. When there is sun, of course they make solar baking. They say they use both sources of energy to power the bakery. The group has been working on buying more baking tins to produce more.”

World Vision local staff highlights that the group makes profit everyday with the solar barking activity and invests in their development. Soon the data collection will start and it will be possible to quantify everything much better.

Inauguration day with World Vision

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→ Lytefire in Guinea-Bissau with SWISSAID

It is in three locations in Guinea-Bissau that Sam Rodrigues installed new Lytefire ovens with the equipment for the kitchens.

The Lytefire equipment arrives in Bafata, Senegal

Installation in Oio village, Senegal

The villages benefiting from this SWISSAID support are Bafata, Cacheu, and Oio.
This project was a bit stressful because the rainy season was about to start and everything had to be rushed to install the equipment and make the first tests. Sometimes, the weather wasn’t that great at all to bake with the sunlight.
As we are entering the rainy season in West Africa, we all are patiently waiting for better forecasts in a few months now. Then, the villages will be able to decide and organize for the best usage of their solar ovens.

Users participate to the installation process in Cacheu, Senegal

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→ What makes Lytefire unique?

If you don’t know our work that well and if our innovation isn’t clear yet to you, take 95 seconds to read this blog post.
And if you wish to introduce us to NGOs, Foundations and Sponsors, we are always welcoming new cooperation!

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This newsletter is meant to inform you about the spread of Lytefire solar thermal solutions and the educational programs. If you do not wish to receive it, you can unsubscribe below. Your newsletter data is not used for anything other than receiving this newsletter. See our Privacy Policy and General Terms © 2025 Lytefire Ltd - Crazy Town - Rautatienkatu 21 C, 33100 Tampere - Finland.

UNE NOUVELLE BOULANGERIE MI-BOIS, MI-SOLAIRE

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C’est sur la somptueuse île sauvage de Belle-Isle-en-Mer, en Bretagne, que Naig a décidé de se lancer. Elle nous a contactés il y a déjà longtemps, elle a observé les autres artisans solaires nourriciers, elle a bien entendu contacté NeoLoco et elle a décidé de se lancer. Sa boulangerie s’appellera PAMIE.

Naig a prévu deux cuissons avec son four à bois à l’intérieur du fournil où elle fera son pain la nuit : “ Au plus fort de la saison, je ne dépasserai pas 80 à 100 kg de pain par jour.” Elle se servira de sa Lytefire autant que possible certains jours, pour des biscuits aussi. Elle tient au four solaire pour faire des animations, et de la sensibilisation auprès des scolaires.

Bretonne d’origine, Naig porte son projet seule, motivée par la mémoire de ses grands-parents, dont un grand-père passionné par l’énergie solaire.

Afin de pouvoir commander son four à Grégoire, Naig a besoin d’un coup de main financier. Quelle que soit la somme finale de sa campagne, elle lui sera reversée donc votre soutien compte vraiment. Voici la page pour soutenir son beau projet si vous le pouvez : PAMIE

Et si vous avez des amis Bretons, Bretonnes, amoureux de la nature et du bon pain, partagez cette info.

Un grand merci d’avance !

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This newsletter is meant to inform you about the spread of Lytefire solar thermal solutions and the educational programs. If you do not wish to receive it, you can unsubscribe below. Your newsletter data is not used for anything other than receiving this newsletter. See our Privacy Policy and General Terms © 2025 Lytefire Ltd - Crazy Town - Rautatienkatu 21 C, 33100 Tampere - Finland.

SOLAR BAKING NEWS FROM UGANDA

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There are 2 types of journeys that people can take with a Lytefire solar oven.

1. Entrepreneurial
2. Community Based Organization (CBO)

After Joan Arwa last time sharing about her Solar Fire Bakery in Kenya, today it’s another team presenting what they do with their Lytefire in East Africa.

The project in Nebbi, Uganda, started in 2021 with the support of Plan International Finland - Plan International Suomi and Plan International Uganda.

Back then, a group of young adults received a Lytefire solar oven old generation (without the charcoal drawer) and a long training to launch a professional solar baking activity adapted to their environment. Since then, they never stopped and they now generated some profit.

CBO’s organization is sometimes great to start and get a group to make the best use of their solar oven. At Lytefire, we are all about the productive use of solar energy and now this team would like to start their entrepreneurial adventure.

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Fresh news from the team running the Nebbi Smart Up Solar Bakery in Uganda:

Benedict Bithola – Oyella Janety – Prudence Vasta & Benedict

How is Nebbi Smart Up bakery doing since its creation in 2022?

We have been able to sustain our livelihood through baking and we created a platform for many youths within the region who are employed in selling our baked products like cookies, cakes, buns, donuts, bread, mandazi and others to be engaged instead of turning into criminal activities, robbery, drug abuse among others.

Our bakery has emerged as one of the best bakeries in producing quality products in the region and offering quality training services in baking skills.

The bakery has also become a centre of training for youths who have passion for baking and this has enabled them to gain more skills in baking and marketing.

There is steady growth and profit has been realised due to purchase of new equipment like cake stands, baking tins, buckets, and the ongoing construction of a new kitchen.

We are able to repair broken mirrors, buying of cake mixture with a larger capacity to accommodate bigger orders.

Our current goal is to open up our own outlet in town away from the bakery so as to limit congestion when buyers come and we hope to achieve this after completing the construction of the kitchen.

Construction of the new kitchen next to the solar oven

Joining the Lytefire project was a special moment and the best decision we have ever made because in most countries in Africa, especially in Uganda in which our bakery is located, we are educated to look for jobs as job seekers not as job creators but this bakery group with the Lytefire solar oven and training has given us an opportunity to create jobs.

Written by Mr Benedict Bithola, Manager Smart up Solar Bakery Nebbi Uganda.

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We have acknowledged growth this year because we sat down and realized that our niche market was cake buyers and so we invested a lot towards that in terms of machinery, baking tins, cake stand, refrigerator, commercial cake mixture, human resources, repairing of broken items, replacement of spoilt ones like the mirrors, the cake mixture and to add on that we enrolled in a one month training on cake decoration to perfect our style.

Prudence Vasta

We have made it as the only bakery dealing in large scale cake production and we are recognized in the West Nile region. The district has recognized us with awards of certificate of appreciation for our Outstanding contribution in transforming the lives of the young people. They pledge to support us especially in marketing and access to government loans and grants to support the youth.

Written by Miss Prudence Vasta, Manager Smart up Solar Bakery Nebbi Uganda.

More pictures from Nebbi Smart Up Solar Bakery:

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This newsletter is meant to inform you about the spread of Lytefire solar thermal solutions and the educational programs. If you do not wish to receive it, you can unsubscribe below. Your newsletter data is not used for anything other than receiving this newsletter. See our Privacy Policy and General Terms © 2025 Lytefire Ltd - Crazy Town - Rautatienkatu 21 C, 33100 Tampere - Finland.