Group Name: Congo Freethinkers Youth Collective 

Location of Group and Project: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo 

Members (list their names, genders, age, telephone number, and email addresses): 

Mahmoud Amadou (Male) – Project Lead Jean-Luc K. (Male) Pierre T. (Male) Alain M. (Male) Christian B. (Male) Dieudonné N. (Male) Félix K. (Male) Gaston M. (Male) Samuel T. (Male) Marie-Claire M. (Female) Dorcas K. (Female) Esther N. (Female) Sarah B. (Female) Rachel L. (Female) Naomi Z. (Female) 

Email: amadoumahmoud79@gmail.com 

Phone: +243-855-004-287 

Website or Facebook page? none

What does humanism mean to you? 

Humanism is a radical act of love. Growing up in the Democratic Republic of Congo, our paths to atheism and secularism were deeply painful and lonely. For instance, Mahmoud felt the heavy weight of isolation for years, terrified that questioning the dominant religious dogma would cost him his family and his future. Another member, Jean-Luc, faced severe threats of financial ruin and family banishment from his community the moment he stopped attending church, forcing him to live a double life just to finish his education. Marie-Claire realized she was a humanist through the quiet agony of keeping her skepticism a secret, realizing that countless other freethinkers around her were hiding in the closet out of sheer economic dependency and fear of total social exile. When we finally found each other and formed this group, we realized that humanism means taking our survival into our own hands. It means understanding that no supernatural force is going to step in to save us from the backlash of rejecting dogma we have to save each other. To us, humanism means substituting religious dependency with human solidarity, reason, and mutual aid. It is the practice of creating a chosen family and building a tangible, economic safety net so that no one in our community ever has to choose between their mental freedom and their physical survival.

Project Description 

The Congo Freethinkers Youth Collective seeks to install a reliable solar lighting and power system for our youth-managed electronics repair shop. Frequent power grid outages in Kinshasa routinely disrupt shop operations, halt precision repairs, and limit operating hours to daylight—severely bottlenecking business output and income generation. By installing an independent solar light energy system, the shop will maintain continuous, reliable illumination and low-voltage power during blackouts. This direct upgrade will significantly boost productivity, extend evening operating hours, protect delicate electronic diagnostics during outages, and ensure a stable revenue stream to maintain our collective financial safety net for vulnerable members.

Budget - Please include links to verify the costs that you list.

Monocrystalline Solar Panel (100W–150W high-efficiency panel for daytime generation) — $85 

Solar Charge Controller (12V/24V PWM/MPPT controller for battery safety) — $35 

Deep-Cycle Solar Battery (12V 100Ah GEL/Lead-Acid for nighttime/outage storage) — $110 

DC Power Inverter & LED Fixtures (Pure sine wave inverter + high-efficiency LED lights) — $45 

Wiring, Mounting Hardware & Switches (Weatherproof cabling, switches, and mounting brackets) — $25 

Total Requested: $300

Expected Income from Project, with Timeline 

Months 1–2 (Installation & Transition): Focus will be on purchasing components, installing the solar system, and testing steady power capabilities. Operating hours will immediately extend into the evening, increasing net monthly income by 15%–20%. Months 3–6 (High-Productivity Phase): Continuous, uninterrupted power allows the shop to complete 30%–40% more daily repairs without outage delays. Expected overall net monthly income increases to $500–$700 per month. Month 6 onwards (Sustained Growth & Charging Hub): The reliable solar system allows the shop to offer emergency device charging to local residents during neighborhood blackouts, generating additional stable revenue to reinvest in the group safety reserve fund.

Benefits to your Community 

This project delivers dual-layered benefits to our community. Externally, it provides a dependable, illuminated service space where local residents can reliably access technology support and device charging even during citywide power cuts. Internally, it ensures our shop operates at maximum capacity, directly maximizing the collective revenue that protects our secular members from poverty and social isolation. It demonstrates practical humanism in action through sustainable energy, reason, and communal self-reliance.