Frequently asked questions

How can I buy a solar light for myself, family or friends?

We’ve got that covered! You can buy from our gift shop.

How can I set up a regular gift from outside the UK?

You can set-up an international regular gift to SolarAid via either CAF America or JustGiving (AUD, CAD. EUR, USD). Learn more about these platforms here.

Can you tell me more about SunnyMoney?

SunnyMoney is a social enterprise owned by SolarAid. Read more here!

I represent a business. How can we help?

SolarAid believes in business-based solutions to poverty, so we’d love to hear from you. Visit our corporate partners page to find out what you can do, join the work place giving scheme or drop our Corporate Partnerships Manager, [email protected] an email.

I work for an NGO and would like to partner with you. Can you tell me how?

Brilliant, we’d love to hear from you. Simply email [email protected] with your area of interest and contact details, so we can put the right person in contact with you.

Can I volunteer in your London office?

When there are opportunities for internships we post them on our jobs page. Also don’t forget you can help us spread the word about SolarAid amongst your network of friends and contacts. Check our Take Action page to see how people are helping us.

What’s the customer savings pay-back time like on solar lights in Africa?

Local economies vary across Africa, as do the products we sell. It takes approximately ten weeks for people living in sub-Saharan Africa to re-coup their investment in a study light. Customers save because they no longer need to buy kerosene supplies, candles and batteries.

Do you subsidise the cost of the light in Africa?

We sell lights at a ‘fair market rate’ so that local entrepreneurs and other agencies can join the market and make a profit too. We do this by taking a hit on the distribution costs. It costs a lot of money to get these lights into remote communities and educate people about their benefits. This is where your donation comes in, covering the £15 cost of getting these lights to the people that need them most.

Where do you sell solar lights?

We work in Malawi and Zambia through our social enterprise SunnyMoney.We also sell a small range of solar lights in the UK. You can find our UK online store here. We plan to expand into other countries and are working on more sharing ideas and strategy with organisations throughout Africa.

We really want to fundraise for you… tell us how!

Brilliant – here you can discover ideas, inspiration find out what others have done or directly donate. If you want to do something different, just let us know what you fancy by contacting us on [email protected] or +44 (0) 207 278 0400.

Is SolarAid giving support to the conflict in Ukraine?

We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We are appalled by the war and its devastating consequences.
At this point, SolarAid isn’t in a position to help directly, as our resources and expertise are dedicated to serving communities in rural Africa. We do know, however, that lack of power will be causing huge difficulties for many people in Ukraine. In a crisis situation, small solar lights and chargers can provide vital access to light, radio and power to keep mobile phones switched on.
We refer to trusted organisations such as ShelterBox and UNHCR who are distributing solar lights, as well as other life saving support on the ground.

 

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How We Work

We do charity differently. We work alongside the most remote communities to create sustainable and scalable programmes centred around building local enterprise which in turn creates resilience to the climate crisis.

Get Involved

From fundraising, to donating, to buying a light there’s plenty of ways to get involved.

A solar light above a book.