Ambessa Play is a social enterprise that builds educational STEM kits to spark creativity and imagination for children everywhere. Ambessa Play has a one-to-one business model, for every kit purchased a refugee child out of school receives one for free.

With 10 separate components and 16 build steps, the flashlight kit turns learning about kinetic energy and electronic components into a hands-on adventure.. The aim was to create a distinctive, fun and attractive design that would work equally well as a STEM kit and as a usable product.

The flashlight design is battery-free and uses a dynamo to charge a capacitor which powers the LED lamp for around 15 minutes after 1-2 minutes of winding. Using a capacitor rather than a battery allowed the design to be compact and avoid the safety issues associated with batteries.

The design is intended to be long-lasting. As it is a kit of components, it can be easily repaired. Replacement parts can be fitted easily by the child if needed. It is also easy to disassemble into its separate components at the end of its life.

By partnering with charities such as Refugee Council, Care for Calais, Project Play and Terre des Hommes it was possible to involve children at every stage of the process ensuring the designs were optimised for displaced children to provide a meaningful benefit for Ambessa Play's one-to-one business model.

After reviewing multiple designs of all shapes and sizes, children said they preferred the flat rectangular format because it fits easily into a pocket. They noticed that this form allowed the flashlight to function as a handheld torch, be worn around the neck with a lanyard facing forward and also placed upright on a surface as a lantern for reading.

Close attention was paid to pleasing tactile details that make the design memorable such as the bespoke cable connectors and the extra handle for fast winding.

The idea for the product came when Ambessa Play founder Sara Berkai, was asked by kids to create a DIY flashlight for them whilst volunteering, running STEM workshops in East Africa. Sara went on to study an MSc in Child Development at the University of Oxford to learn more about how children learn science. During the MSc, she developed several ideas for the flashlight, testing circuits, solar panels and batteries. Later electrical engineer Leo Bueno joined the project and developed the first efficient circuit that was both educational and functional using a motor as a dynamo to charge a capacitor.

Ambessa Play was founded to develop, test and bring the DIY flashlight idea to market. Ambessa means 'lion' in Eritrean and Ethiopian languages and you would say 'Ambessa!' to a child as congratulations or well done. It can mean brave, strong, or powerful.

For children who lack basic resources such as electricity, a DIY flashlight is both a functional and educational item. Early mockups were tested in camps/settlements working with charities such as Project Play, Refugee Council, Care4Calais and Terre des Hommes. To ensure the design would function as a usable product with a long lifespan Ambessa Play worked with industrial designers to refine the initial idea and develop it for mass production. Kids were involved as co-creators in every stage of the design, they tested dozens of prototypes and selected the final design.

The packaging was developed to be an integral part of the product experience and support the build of the kit, providing instructions and component organisation, whilst keeping sizing and material use to a minimum.

Why a one-for-one business model? The majority of displaced children do not have access to schools or even electricity - but just like every child, they are curious and keen to learn. 58 million children are out of school and half live in conflict / displacement. 78% of refugees are displaced for at least 5 years

Since launch the first batch of one-to-one DIY flashlights have been delivered to refugee children out of school in France, Greece, Morocco, Ethiopia and Eritrea.