The Boys and Girls Club of Seaside assemble 'solar suitcases' for an orphanage in Uganda.

Good things come in small packages.

Make that small durable plastic packages about the size of a desktop computer. 

They're called "solar suitcases."

They appeared as part of Seaside Boys and Girls Club’s Summer Success 2014.

The theme for STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and math, subjects for which the local and national educational system are not famous for perfecting.

Today, the middle school-aged kids enlisted in the club’s morning activities have an opportunity to hone those STEAM skills—in addition to providing a service.

How? With the solar suitcases, a product of WE CARE Solar.

Solar suitcases are aptly named: The finished product is a mechanism that harnesses solar energy via solar panels, can charge cell phones and batteries and includes LED task light and outlets for 12V DC devices.

After assemblage, it is packaged in a brightly colored plastic suitcase and transported to areas in Africa or Haiti, granting electricity to vital but underserved spots like medical clinics and orphanages.

Four of the five suitcases assembled by the kids at the Boys and Girls Club are headed to Uganda and Senegal to power orphanages, and one is staying at the club.

"We're saving lives by building something mechanical," says Kylie, one of the middle school kids involved.

Mary Dawson brought the project to the Boys and Girls Club because she saw that it fulfilled the STEAM learning aspect of the summer and involved the kids in a service.

The project is funded by private investors who contribute to science and math learning for the club. 

The children involved in the Summer Success program come from low-income families.

"It's kids in need helping other kids in need," says Nancy Bechtold, development associate of the Boys and Girls Club. 

“It’s a good privilege we get to have, because normally college or high school students do it,” says Jaden, another student involved.