Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation

About us

An award winning campaign of 16 years, by a Sri Lankan NGO to prevent kerosene burns.

Over 300,000 people die of burns globally every year, and 95% of these deaths, disabilities and disfigurements occur in developing countries. Some are kerosene burns due to its wide use in homes lacking electricity.

In Sri Lanka, dreadful burns are caused by makeshift unsafe kerosene lamps that are used by many such families. As the provision of electricity to them is too slow, there was a crying need for a simple, inexpensive and quick solution.

The Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation has developed a low-cost, safer lamp which it has been distributing free or below-cost to poor families who use unsafe kerosene lamps. The foundation has distributed over 775,000 such lamps so far along with burn prevention awereness programs.

The foundation has been the recipient of three prestigious international awards including the Rolex Award in 1998, Lindbergh and Reader’s Digest Awards. Recently it has been nominated as a finalist in the BBC World Challenge '09, where the winner is chosen by online voting.

You can vote now at: http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/2009-finalists-project10.php