To help brighten the holidays of those in need, Linkin Park are asking fans and supporters of their non-profit organization Music for Relief to make donations to help provide a solar powered light bulb to families in Haiti. Around 1.3 billion people in the world have no access to electricity, and cannot continue to work, study or provide healthcare after dark.

With each $10 donation, Music for Relief will provide one solar powered light bulb to a family in Haiti as part of Linkin Park’s new Power the World campaign. The donor will receive a custom holiday card to print or email to a friend or loved one on their list. The solar light bulbs are renewable energy tools that reduce the health and fire risks associated with candles and kerosene.

“We chose Haiti for this project because the country faces severe energy poverty,” said Linkin Park vocalist Mike Shinoda. “There are 34 million people in the Western Hemisphere who have no access to modern energy; 8 million of them are in Haiti. By helping Haiti, we can make a huge impact, so it’s a great place to start.”

Linkin Park are also encouraging fans to promote clean energy solutions to messy gas and fuel-related problems. In November, the band pledged its support of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative by partnering with UN Foundation and EarthSpark International to bring clean energy solutions to families without energy access beginning in Haiti through Enèji Pwòp (Clean Energy in Haitian Creole).

Enèji Pwòp was created by EarthSpark International, a United Nations Program (UNEP) partner, to build supply chains and business practices to support small-scale clean energy entrepreneurs in Haiti. Over time, they hope low-cost, efficient and renewable energy technologies such as the solar light bulb, will save money for Haitians.

They Linkin Park launched Music for Relief in 2005, the organization has raised over $5 million for disaster victims across the globe. Funds raised have helped those who have suffered from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, hurricane Katrina, China’s Wenchuan earthquake, a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2011 earthquake & tsunami in Japan.

Music for Relief also supports the planting of over 955,000 trees to help reduce global warming. The organization was recently recognized by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for the Download to Donate program to raise funds and awareness in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. To donate to the Haiti solar light bulb initiative and to find out more about Music for Relief’s Power the World campaign, visit www.powertheworld.org.

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