Unite to Light: Gathering Feedback from the Hardest-to-Reach Users

1. The Challenge

For over a decade, Unite to Light has distributed thousands of solar-powered lamps in collaboration with organizations like UNFPA, but has struggled to capture how they were being used in daily life in a robust, consistent way. Counting units delivered showed outputs, but not the rich outcomes of having reliable access to a lighting source. Traditional feedback methods, like online surveys, are unrealistic for end users in low-connectivity environments, leaving stories and impact largely invisible in spite of the obvious benefits of light distribution.

2. The Solution

To bridge this gap, Unite to Light is piloting Simba in a projects like distribution of lamps with midwives in Bangladesh, in partnership with UNHCR. These midwives often work in rural villages and refugee camps with little or no electricity, relying on solar lamps to safely perform deliveries and care for mothers and newborns. Using WhatsApp surveys, midwives can easily share short reflections on how the lights are helping them, what challenges they faced, and where improvements can be made.

3. The Outcome

With Simba, Unite to Light is gaining new visibility into the lived experiences of its end users and the broader impact of its years of effort. Feedback from midwives is highlighting how the lamps increase safety, improved working conditions, and is making critical care possible at night and in extremely challenging environments.

Simba's lightweight surveys respect the realities of overburdened health workers, demonstrating that WhatsApp-based tools can help even the hardest-to-reach communities share their voices.

Unite to Light uses Simba’s WhatsApp surveys to gather feedback from midwives in Bangladesh, showing how solar lamps improve safety and care in off-grid communities.