About

I am a senior at the Charlotte Latin School in North Carolina and this past year I’ve created a project to install solar panels and provide power for three newly made schools that focus on teaching STEM, music, and art in the Hatay region of Turkiye.

Recently, Turkiye suffered a devastating earthquake that killed more than 50,000 people with more than 400,000 people still displaced and living in container camps. Half my family is from Turkiye and I started this project to help the affected region recover with power via solar panels as the region has been suffering from power outages and lack of electricity. It is likely to be a long time before reliable electric access returns to many impacted, particularly in rural areas and in the modular houses that are being installed.

To combat this I’ve partnered with Yuva House Project, the company that makes the modular homes and schools as well as Aluzga Solar, based in Istanbul. We successfully completed and commissioned our first school in July 2024 which is believed to be the first new solar solution install at a new earthquake school.

We have two additional schools identified for our next phase - I hope you can help the children in this region by donating.

Derin Lowe