News and views

Malawi school receives a solar light library

  Students of Kapiri Community Day Second School gather to learn about Light Library. Photo credit: Imaan More than 280 students attend Kapiri Community Day Second School, located in Dedza district near Lake Malawi – an area home to Malawi’s renowned Child Marriage Terminator, Chief Theresa Kachindamoto. SolarAid, through SunnyMoney Malawi, sees the impact of bringing […]

Electricity — you can’t fight poverty without it

  Response to The Economist  The title of this article should be an obvious, non-contentious, statement. However, in an article published in The Economist on 7th February, entitled ‘Electricity does not change poor lives as much as was thought,’ there are a number of fairly sweeping assertions which question the value of access to electricity and clean, safe, lighting. […]

Before we flip the switch: Mandevu prepares to receive access to solar lights

  Project Switch was born out of frustration. While our successful social enterprise, SunnyMoney, makes solar lights accessible to disadvantaged communities across Africa, this alone is not enough to ensure the poorest communities are not left behind. You helped us meet our target last year to raise £50,000 to bring Project Switch to one such community in […]

The incredible power of believing in yourself

African women entrepreneurs are a dynamic force. They are increasingly driving economic growth and transforming their communities. Jeanne is one such person who epitomises this female-led revolution across villages in rural Africa. An intelligent, determined force for positive change, Jeanne leads ElleSolaire’s women entrepreneurs in Senegal. She not only acts as an advocate for the equality of […]

A school, a lion and solar lights in rural Zambia

  Ms. Michelo, Head Teacher of Nyakantaingi Primary School, receiving solar lights for the Light Library This week, I joined SolarAid’s SunnyMoney field team in Zambia, as it set out to visit a rural school in the district of Rufunsa, around four hours drive from the capital Lusaka. As you drive out of the main […]

Reaching millions together

Dear SolarAid Stars and Supporters, As January comes to a close and you shake off the January blues, I wanted to write and thank all of you who have supported our work over the years. Back in the spring of 2006, driven by a passion to fight poverty and climate change, we began our work […]

Three facts to think about on the world’s first International Day of Education

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education, acknowledging the importance of education in achieving sustainable development. Audrey Azoulay, Director General spoke of this day as an occasion to reaffirm fundamental principles. “Firstly, education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. Secondly, education is the most powerful […]

Artists perform in the dark to light up Africa

Save the date for the best experience you’ll never see. Dark Room Sessions and SolarAid have partnered to bring you live music with a lineup of artists that will take you on an audible journey from East to West Africa and throughout while you are immersed in darkness. All profits from the concert will go […]

Solar lights enlighten students in Sierra Leone

  Following in the footsteps of our SunnyMoney student lights campaigns, which have led the way in scaling access to solar lights for millions of people across East Africa, we are pleased that Oxfam has run a pilot following early discussions with our team. Based on our work, this pilot has brought 1,668 solar lights to families […]

We’ve made history with your support

For the first time in history, the number of people living without access to electricity fell below one billion! This exciting news came after over 120 million people worldwide gained access to electricity in 2017. Our SolarAid Stars have helped us cover the transport and logistic costs of delivering thousands of solar lights to remote, […]