This article was taken from the April 2012 issue of Wired
magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before
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A US-based social enterprise is taking solar power's potential
to women in developing countries, helping to build sustainable
businesses and cut poverty.
Bristol, Rhode Island-based non-profit Solar Sister provides women
in Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan -- where up to 95 per cent of the
population lacks reliable access to electricity -- with kits
For $500 (£320), they receive training on how to use the
equipment, and gain access to a team which teaches them how to sell
the items and grow their customer base. Sales of solar-powered
equipment such as lamps, mobile
phone chargers and radios provide a ten-per-cent commission.
"Energy poverty is at the core of all poverty," says Katherine
Lucey, CEO of Solar Sister. "But with reliable access to
electricity, people can live their lives more fully. Students can
study at night, women can cook. It completely changes their ability
to lift themselves out of poverty."
Solar Sister taps into 156 entrepreneurs, who have sold
equipment to about 9,000 people. Lucey claims switching kerosene
for solar-powered light cuts expenses by 30 per cent, and gives
children three hours more study time a day. What a bright idea.