The Portable Light Project embeds flexible solar nano-technology into textiles that can harvest energy and generate light. Flexible photovoltaics and solid state lighting can be incorporated into textiles by local weavers (using traditional weaving techniques), and can be 'charged' in the sun, yielding white light at nighttime. Small devices such as cell phones can also be charged with the textiles. This technology is being used in Mexican Sierra Madre, Brazilian and Venezuelan Amazonias, Nicaragua and now South Africa. By rolling the fabric in a cylinder or a cone or by laying it flat, the user can create different forms of light: a focused flashlight, a reading lamp, a broad ambient light source.  This fabric is already being used in health care settings in Africa and could be used for midwives or mothers.   Go to http://portablelight.org and to this article.