Village Solar
Sungeni
Segula
Ceo/Co-Founder
Mission
Village Solar's mission is to empower marginalized rural women in Malawi by providing training and tools to distribute clean energy products, thereby reducing energy poverty, addressing gender disparities, and increasing women's incomes.
Category
Poverty Alleviation
Additional Information
In rural and semi-urban areas of Malawi, a vast majority of households, schools, businesses and healthcare facilities do not have access to reliable electricity, and most operate without electricity at all. As a result of this energy gap, more than 17 Million people are losing their chance at a better standard of living, and are losing economic opportunities that could lift them out of poverty.
Furthermore, poverty has a clear gender aspect. Households led by women experience higher rates of poverty. In comparison to men, women are often more disadvantaged when it comes to decent work opportunities and face greater difficulty translating their labour into paid work and their paid work into higher and more secure incomes.
To address these complex challenges, we established Village Solar, a social enterprise aimed at empowering rural marginalized women in Malawi. Our initiative creates avenues for women to generate income and build livelihoods by distributing clean energy products such as solar lamps and solar home systems within their communities. Village Solar collaborates with local women's groups in energy-deprived areas, offering them access to group-based financing, training in financial management, marketing, and solar technology, along with ongoing business support. Through these efforts, our goal is not only to address the energy gap but also to empower women economically, promoting resilience and self-reliance in their communities.
