By Sinead Maharey, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for Solar Sister
Since 2009, Solar Sister has saved end-users in last-mile communities over $170 million by replacing the use of harmful and costly energy sources such as kerosene and batteries for lighting and phone charging. In the first half of 2023 alone, Solar Sister entrepreneurs have saved end-user households in their communities over $16.6 million as a direct result of Solar Sister entrepreneurs’ distribution of clean solar energy products.
Affordable, reliable, and efficient electricity increases productivity, generates jobs, and enhances living conditions and socioeconomic success. However, 597 million individuals in sub-Saharan Africa lack basic access to electricity. Millions of households across Africa who are not connected to the electrical grid rely on kerosene or batteries for lighting, which are not only harmful for the environment and human health but also poses a significant financial burden on those families. Women and girls are more likely to carry the burden of energy poverty and experience the adverse effects of a lack of safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy. For example, indoor air pollution from using combustible fuels for household energy caused 4.3 million deaths in 2012, with women and girls accounting for 60% of those deaths.
As the primary household managers globally, women are also significantly more likely to suffer from the economic burden of energy poverty. The significant savings that come from making the switch to solar energy benefits women incredibly; Women’s ownership and control of productive assets such as solar energy products is known to speed up development, help overcome household poverty and reduce inequalities. Additionally, when women have access to savings, improvements are seen in their children’s nutrition, health, and school attendance.
With this knowledge of the unique household burden women bear globally, Solar Sister aims to help eradicate energy poverty in last-mile communities by investing specifically in local women entrepreneurs and supporting them to become clean energy business owners. Solar Sister trains entrepreneurs in a woman-to-woman-focused distribution model in order to maximize our impact on last-mile women. To date, Solar Sister has recruited, trained, and supported more than 9,400 women entrepreneurs; not only are these entrepreneurs earning additional income and opportunity for themselves and their own families, but Solar Sister’s clean energy distribution network of women have had long-lasting impacts on their communities, bringing the benefits of clean solar energy to 4.3 million beneficiaries in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya.