Bhubaneswar, Aug. 25: A group of enthusiastic youngsters had decided that they would light up cramped shanties that remain dark even during the day. And they delivered.

Under the aegis of Desire Foundation, this group, along with the Liter of Light project, took up the initiative in slums of Mancheswar. They executed their plan by installing solar lights using bamboos and plastic bottles.

As part of the initiative, the member had first collected plastic bottles. Then they filled them up with water and bleach and stuck them into the roofs of shanties. The bleach-filled bottles then refract the light outside and light up the inside much like a light bulb.

"The houses in these slums are cramped and have no windows and ventilation. So, we thought of the implementing the project here," said Soumik Ghoshal, co-ordinator of the project.

"These makeshift bulbs can last up to five years. Access to energy is absolutely fundamental in the struggle against poverty and we feel that without energy, there is no economic growth, there is no dynamism and there is no opportunity," he said.

Since its launch in 2012, Liter of Light has lighted up 850,000 houses in a dozen countries, including the Philippines, Egypt and Colombia.