Patison’s daughter also now works as a seamstress during the evenings. Their home is one of 100 in villages in rural Lilongwe that have had solar lights installed as part of VSO’s Solar Mamas rural electrification project. In Malawi, just 10% of homes have electricity. For Patison, the solar lighting means she can focus on growing her business. ‘Now, I can work as long as I like. I am happy working on my business, because I want to get somewhere in life. My ambition is to become well-known, so that I can get orders from big companies’