The Women's Entrepreneurship Project: Empowering formerly internally displaced women through clean energy enterprise

June 25, 2020

Internal displacement is one of the world’s most pressing humanitarian and human rights challenges. Moreover, more than half of the world’s internally displaced people (IDP) are women and girls

Women and girls are among the most vulnerable IDP, facing many specific protection and support challenges, such as family separation, psychological stress, trauma, and gender-based violence. While internally displaced women encounter dangerous and complicated situations, they also possess unique coping strategies and an unwavering willingness to improve and protect their own lives and those of their families. Many of these women are household breadwinners, so increasing access to economic opportunity for them is crucial to improving their communities’ well-being. This is where women’s clean energy entrepreneurship comes in.

In complementing efforts of the Nigeria relocation, rehabilitation & resettlement strategy, as outlined by the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative, Esso Exploration Production Nigeria Limited in production contract with Shell and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation partnered with Solar Sister to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Project.

Recognizing the untapped potential of empowering internally displaced women through clean energy entrepreneurship, this high-impact humanitarian initiative supported rehabilitation efforts in North-Eastern Nigeria, with the overarching goal of empowering women and strengthening community resilience through sustainable livelihoods.

The Women’s Entrepreneurship Project initiative supported 200 formerly internally displaced women across Bauchi State to become clean energy entrepreneurs and increase access to modern energy solutions in their communities. These women became successful sustainable business owners, selling over 4,000 clean energy products within the first 6 months and educating their communities about the benefits of renewable energy solutions. Moreover, 94% of the women also joined Village Savings and Loan Associations to collectively generate financial tools and savings. 

Bauchi VSLA
Bauchi Solar Sister Entrepreneurs gather for their VSLA meeting

The success of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Project demonstrates the capacity of community-anchored entrepreneurial approaches to provide access to quality, protective, and relevant economic opportunities for resettled populations. Below we highlight how the Women’s Entrepreneurship Project changed the life of Solar Sister Entrepreneur, Mary Dauda:

Mary Dauda
Maura Dauda with pico solar lighting solutions

Meet Mary Dauda, a single mother of four who resides in Yelwan Kagadama, Bauchi State. She is a farmer and a Solar Sister Entrepreneur. She started her clean energy business in 2018 through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Project, and since then has been running a successful enterprise! Before she became a clean energy entrepreneur, Mary struggled to grow her farming operation. Now that she earns extra income from selling clean energy products, she owns a successful farm in the village of Garin Mallam. 

“Before now I struggled a lot to make ends meet as I am a single mother taking care of my children here in Bauchi after my husband remarried, but with [the] Women’s Entrepreneurship Project, I have been able to support my family from the savings I get from my solar business.”

Becoming a Solar Sister Entrepreneur didn’t only increase Mary’s income, but has also helped her learn key business skills through Solar Sister’s monthly training curriculum. 

”My favorite part about being a Solar Sister Entrepreneur is the monthly training I get. Especially during Covid-19, the training really helped and encouraged me, not just in my business but also in my daily life activities.”

Mary has also learned about the benefits of clean energy through Solar Sister! She now knows about the negative health implications of using firewood to cook and about the energy expenditure savings associated with solar lamps.

“Life has become easier because I now use a clean cookstove to cook, and my children study better with the solar lamp I use. Cooking at night has become easier because I have my solar lamp to hang in my kitchen when cooking.”

Most importantly, Mary feels a sense of empowerment. As a Solar Sister Entrepreneur, her confidence has grown and she now has more control over her life.

“I feel empowered because I was given the capital (clean energy products) to start my business, and I now know how to run a successful business. It has also boosted my morale because I can now interact better with people which I couldn’t before.”

You can also learn more about the positive impact of this project on the women of Bauchi State and their communities by watching our newly released video below, produced in collaboration with Ultrashot Nigeria!