EIN 85-4380654

Light Up A Village

IRS 501(c) type
501(c)(3)
Num. employees
0
Year formed
2021
Most recent tax filings
2023-12-01
NTEE code, primary
Description
Light Up A Village strives to empower underprivileged communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo by instilling sustainable changes in development sectors such as education, entrepreneurship, and electricity. In 2022, Dr. Avoki Omekanda taught electrical engineering at a local university in Kinshasa's capital city four times. Furthermore, we have implemented solar projects that provide electricity to remote villages, enabling small businesses to thrive and students to study after dark. Light Up A Village is located in Rochester, MI.
Total revenues
$199,395
2023
Total expenses
$200,579
2023
Total assets
$2,517
2023
Num. employees
0
2023

Program areas at Light Up A Village

The following programs were conducted in 2023:Education: Dr. Avoki Omekanda, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, went back to Kinshasa five times in 2023 to teach electrical engineering at a university in the capital city of Kinshasa. Students sat in the hot auditorium for up to 10 hours straight to hear him talk about new scientific and engineering discoveries. Dr. Omekanda worked hard as a Research Engineer at General Motors Global R&D Center to make time to teach in Kinshasa. He juggled weekends, holidays, and vacations to make it work because he wanted these Congolese students to get the best education possible. Getting educated is a key way to help young people get out of poverty. The Light Up A Village (LUV) group has paid for Dr. Omekanda's trips to Kinshasa, helped low-income engineering school students pay for their classes, and given money to local engineering conferences. LUV has also bought things for Kinshasa's ISTA University, like computers, electrical engineering books, and other things. Kindly check out the picture gallery at www.lightupavillage.org to see some lovely pictures of LUV education events in Kinshasa.Agriculture: Agriculture-related endeavors have been supported by the Light Up A Village (LUV) program in Mpanoka Village, which is located on the Bateke plateau and is twenty kilometers away from Kinshasa. Due to its proximity to the Equator, this community enjoys a climate and pluviometry that are exceptionally beneficial to agriculture. The LUV has rented out 25 hectares of arable land in Mpanoka and has provided funding for the planting of a variety of vegetables, including cassava, peanuts, tomatoes, and others. Rural agriculture, which relies on the hoe and other hand tools, has been practiced by women from the local community. Through the LUV initiative, tractors were rented in order to make agricultural processes more efficient and to boost the overall productivity of the workforce. In an effort to boost productivity during the dry season, LUV is looking into the possibility of adding irrigation pipes to water plats. Currently, there are a couple of irrigation infrastructure projects that are being constructed. In addition, Light Up A Village has continued to provide funding for a pilot project involving bee farming in order to get ready for a larger-scale development in the year 2024 or 2025.Clean Water: Unfortunately, the village of Mpanoka does not have sufficient water storage facilities, despite the fact that it has good pluviometry during the rainy season. Continued funding for the construction of two underground concrete reservoirs that are capable of retaining a total of one hundred thousand liters of rainwater was provided by the group known as Light Up A Village. At the end of the year 2023, construction was finished, and an assortment of images showcasing the projects can be found on the LUV website, under the Gallery page. The construction of gravity tanks and electric photovoltaic pumping systems is scheduled to take place between the years 2024 and 2025, with funding, purchase, and installation being planned.Rural Electrification: Light Up A Village has a wealth of experience in the field of electrical engineering, which was put to good use in the process of photovoltaic (PV) solar electrification of a few of locations in Kinshasa, notably Plateau de Bateke, as well as in the province of Sankuru. The spread of solar activities to other surrounding provinces, particularly in hospitals and primary schools, is something that we have planned. On the website of the organization (www.lightupavillage.org), under the Gallery page, you will find a couple of images that were taken during the process of installing streetlights. In the years 2024 and 2025, additional activities are planned, and there are also plans to actively raise money.

Personnel at Light Up A Village

NameTitleCompensation
Avoki OmekandaPresident$0
Marie OmekandaTreasurer and Secretary$0

Financials for Light Up A Village

RevenuesFYE 12/2023
Total grants, contributions, etc.$197,460
Program services$0
Investment income and dividends$0
Tax-exempt bond proceeds$0
Royalty revenue$0
Net rental income$0
Net gain from sale of non-inventory assets$0
Net income from fundraising events$0
Net income from gaming activities$0
Net income from sales of inventory$0
Miscellaneous revenues$1,935
Total revenues$199,395

Form 990s for Light Up A Village

Fiscal year endingDate received by IRSFormPDF link
2023-122024-06-17990View PDF
2022-122023-04-13990View PDF

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Data update history
August 3, 2024
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2023
June 17, 2023
Posted financials
Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2022
June 14, 2023
Updated personnel
Identified 5 new personnel
June 10, 2023
Used new vendors
Identified 1 new vendor, including
May 2, 2022
Updated personnel
Identified 1 new personnel
Nonprofit Types
Social advocacy organizationsInternational-focused organizationsCharities
Issues
Human servicesAgricultureForeign affairsInternational development
Characteristics
State / local levelTax deductible donationsNo full-time employeesAccepts online donations
General information
Address
3919 Briarbrooke LN
Rochester, MI 48306
Metro area
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
County
Oakland County, MI
Website URL
lightupavillage.org/ 
Phone
(248) 342-1779
IRS details
EIN
85-4380654
Fiscal year end
December
Taxreturn type
Form 990
Year formed
2021
Eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions (Pub 78)
Yes
Categorization
NTEE code, primary
Q33: International Relief
NAICS code, primary
813319: Social Advocacy Organizations
Parent/child status
Independent
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