When Justinian Jackson started working as a midwife in a clinic in Buzilasoga, Tanzania, pregnant women who came from different parts of the rural region to have their babies were told to bring their own candles or lamp oil to avoid being in the dark after the delivery. To bring the baby into the world, Jackson relied on ambient light from the window, kerosene lamps, or the glow of his cell phone to light the exam room. In developing countries, hospitals and health clinics are often off the grid or experience frequent power outages or rolling blackouts, forcing health care workers to treat patients in the dark or operate without power to run essential equipment.



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