This article originally published in the October 13, 2009 edition of USA Today

'House' star electrified over powering African hospital

By Olivia Wilde

My interest in giving back started at an early age. My parents both journalists who spent a lot of their time reporting the news in war zones always were talking about Doctors Without Borders and the great work it does.

As a result, I was very aware of the world's humanitarian and medical crises by the time I reached my teens. Now that I'm older, the environment also has become an important focus in my life. I try to be a responsible citizen of the Earth by reducing my carbon footprint and learning as much as I can about solar technology.

It was these passions that led me to get involved with Power Up Gambia. I learned about it two years ago when I presented an award to the founder, a young woman named Kathryn Cunningham Hall.

I found the concept to be so brilliant: taking existing hospitals and clinics in Gambia and providing them with solar panels to generate the electricity they lack.

Gambia is a country that has access to medical equipment but not enough power to run it efficiently. Imagine a hospital in which a cesarean section is performed by candlelight, with power from a generator for just two hours a day.

My hope is that Power Up Gambia can one day outfit every clinic and hospital in The Gambia with solar panels, then take that example to the rest of Africa and, hopefully, even to the United States where, for example, Native American reservations are facing a similar crisis.

I love telling this story because I'm so inspired by it, and it's such a great example of how one person can make a difference. Often, people feel overwhelmed by the scope of need in today's world. They feel as if their actions are just a drop in the bucket and won't have an impact. But I want people to know that one person can change a life.

Kathryn is a great role model. She had a simple idea and ran with it. We all should learn from her example of what a little initiative can accomplish. Once people get a taste of that sense of accomplishment, in whatever way they like to serve their community or the world, they realize the significance of their individual actions. I certainly have.