Ilac Love

I've always believed that the poorest don't need help. They need power: power to judge, power to make a living by themselves, and most importantly power to decide.

And power can only originate from education and knowledge, not money.

Giving the poor aid doesn't solve their problem, it only prolongs it. Aid makes people dependent and economically inferior, as they have to pay back later down the road. And even if it's free, people become passive and apathetic towards their own lives, as they sit down and wait for something to happen.

People need the education and tools to improve their standards of living, they don't need help from outsiders.

That is why I love Ilac Diaz's social approach in the Philippines. He teaches simple, sustainable  technologies to the people in need and then he allows them to implement these ideas into their own lives.

Take for example the Solar Water Bottle Bulb... Such a BASIC, but mind-blowing invention.

Taking advantage of the free solar light and by reusing the millions and millions of plastic water bottles put to waist, it is possible to build your a bulb. Add water, a little bit of bleach, make a hole in the roof.. and BOOM.

Instant, free light for 10 years!

Thanks to social innovator Illac Diaz, more than 1 million poor houses in the Philippines are out of the darkness, and soon 4 million more will around the world.

Empower the people, let them grow out of the dark.

I like that philosophy.