Two Edinburgh students are using their technical skills to provide a lifeline for refugees.
The environmental sciences undergraduates have created solar-powered mobile phone charging units for refugees living in camps in Greece.
Through Project Elpis, students Alexandros Angelopoulos and Sam Kellerhals are helping hundreds of people contact families and access vital information.
Off-grid electricity
The units generate electricity for 12 devices per hour and run for 10 hours a day.
For refugees stranded in Greece, a smartphone is a lifeline – as long as its battery lasts.
Access to electricity can be hard to find in overcrowded camps. Young and old people gather together over individual sockets, waiting anxiously to contact home.
The solar-powered devices can deliver electricity to 3600 refugees in one month and help to meet major demand for phone charging stations and off-grid electricity.
Sam and Alex have spent the summer in Greece installing units at several locations.