Illustration: Pau Gasol Valls – Red Social Innovation
After two years of partnership with the Humanitarian Design Bureau, SOLLUNE phosphorescent tarpaulins are now part of PIROI’s pre-positioned stocks of equipment in Reunion Island. As the cyclone season approaches, this innovative solution is operational and ready for deployment during an emergency.
SOLLUNE tarpaulins absorb sunlight during the day, and provide soft lighting at night. Development of this ‘glow-in-the-dark’ sheeting is in line with the PIROI Center’s research and innovation component, designed to improve humanitarian assistance provided to local populations by bringing them additional lighting solutions, particularly during emergencies. Pre-positioning phosphorescent tarpaulins covering a total surface area of 300 m² at its Reunion Island warehouse will allow PIROI to meet the lighting needs of 250 families.
In 2020 these tarpaulins were tested at one of PIROI’s response sites, the village of Ampahana, Madagascar, with assistance from the Malagasy and Luxembourg Red Cross Societies. Their deployment at four sites achieved all the goals that had been set, demonstrating the benefits of SOLLUNE phosphorescent tarpaulins under development conditions.
The project was financed thanks to support from the European Union as part of the INTERREG V Indian Ocean programme which aims to respond to co-development challenges in the region’s countries.
