Team Building with Purpose
SolarBuddy Lights
Your team builds solar-powered lights that ship to children living in energy poverty — each with a personal letter from the builder. Office-friendly, deeply moving, and scales from 10 to 500+.
Enquire now →Your team doesn't volunteer at a charity. They deliver something for one.
Every light your team assembles is shipped, switched on and used by a real child — most of whom have never had safe light to read or study by after sunset.
The product
This is the light your team builds
A complete solar-powered lamp — solar panel, rechargeable battery, LED, casing. Charges in daylight, runs through the night. Built by your team, packed by us, shipped by SolarBuddy direct to the destination country.
Four-year working life. Replaces the kerosene lamps families currently fall back on — dangerous, expensive and damaging to children's lungs.
What is the SolarBuddy build day?
SolarBuddy is an Australian charity that has shipped over 250,000 solar lights to children in energy poverty across more than 20 countries. Without electricity, study and play stop when the sun sets — and the kerosene lamps families fall back on are dangerous, expensive and damaging to health.
12 Degrees runs the build days in the UK. Your team gathers in your office, a venue, or our delivery space. Each pair assembles a complete solar light from a SolarBuddy kit — circuit board, panel, battery, casing — then writes a personal letter to the child who will receive it. We collect everything, ship it, and send your team photos of the lights in use once they reach their destination.
It's a deliver-for activity, not a volunteer-at one. Your team produces tangible aid by the end of the session. There is no charity site to travel to, no minimum age, no physical strain — just focused, hands-on contribution that ends with something real heading to someone who needs it.
How a SolarBuddy day runs
We deliver in a half-day or full-day format — pick the one that fits the rest of your agenda.
Welcome & Brief
Why this matters: the SolarBuddy charity story, the countries we're shipping to, the children waiting on the other end.
Build the Lights
Pairs assemble lights from sealed kits. We facilitate, talk teams through each step, troubleshoot. About 45-60 minutes per pair.
Test & Letter
Every light is tested. Each builder writes a short letter to the recipient — encouragement, hello, something to keep with the light.
Pack & Photograph
A group photo with the finished lights. We collect, pack and arrange shipping with SolarBuddy directly to the destination country.
After the day, SolarBuddy sends back imagery of the lights in use — your team sees who they helped, on the ground, weeks later.
Group sizes & indicative pricing
Pricing is per person and includes the SolarBuddy kit, facilitation, materials, shipping contribution and post-event impact report. Final quote depends on venue, format and add-ons.
Small Team
£55
From, per person
Mid-Size
£48
From, per person
Conference / Large
£42
From, per person
The recipient
From your team's hands to a child's home
Each light is matched to a child in one of more than twenty countries — Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Bangladesh, and beyond. The personal letter your team writes goes with it.
Weeks later, photographs come back of the light in use — switched on at home, used for study, used by a family that has never had safe, free light after dark.
The impact behind every build
SolarBuddy has been running since 2016. Every light has a four-year working life, lights up a child's home for studying and family time, and replaces dangerous kerosene lamps. Your team's build is part of a global programme already running at scale.
250,000+
Lights shipped to date
20+
Countries reached
4 years
Working life per light
Frequently asked questions
Practical answers about how a SolarBuddy day runs. For broader questions about 12 Degrees, see the FAQs in the footer below.
How long does a build day take?
A focused build runs 90 minutes to 2 hours including welcome and letters. We also run half-day (3 hours with brief, build, debrief and team photography) and full-day formats paired with wider team activities.
Where does it happen?
Most often your office — we bring everything: kits, tools, mats, facilitators. We also run builds at venues across the UK as part of away days, and at conference break-outs.
Do we need to be technical?
No. The kits are designed for first-time builders. Our facilitators talk every pair through it. Most teams finish their light comfortably within the time.
What's the minimum and maximum group size?
Minimum 10 to make the day worthwhile. No real maximum — we've delivered up to 500 at conference scale, with multiple facilitators and a phased build flow.
What do we get back after the day?
A confirmation that lights have shipped, a B1G1 impact summary, and follow-up imagery from SolarBuddy of the lights in use. Your team sees who they helped, weeks later.
Can we combine this with another activity?
Yes — SolarBuddy pairs well with a wider away day, a conference, or alongside a second purpose-led format (Prosthetic Hand Build, Pack for Purpose). Talk to us about combined formats.
The scale
Over a quarter of a million children. And counting.
Your team's build adds to a global programme already operating at scale. Every light is one more child who can read after dark — without smoke, without danger, without cost.
Bring SolarBuddy to your team
Tell us your group size, location and ideal date — we'll come back with a tailored proposal and a date in the diary.
Enquire now →