News and views

SolarAid wins Energy Globe award for second year running

  SolarAid has once again won the Energy Globe award for our work in Malawi. Last year we won the award for developing the world’s most affordable solar light, the SM100, and for pioneering pay-as-you-go (PAYG) ownership schemes for affordable solar lights in rural Malawi. This is the third time SolarAid has won an Energy Globe award, the first […]

SolarAid’s latest innovation – Project Switch

At SolarAid we have always been on a mission to make solar energy and lighting more affordable. We’ve sold almost 2 million little solar lights, we pioneered light libraries and Pay As You Go solar for people below the poverty line, and launched what was at the time, the World’s most affordable solar light. But despite this success, we need […]

Florence Muva – a super agent

In July 2017 SunnyMoney Malawi recruited a new super agent, Florence Muva. Florence had previously been selling small packets of water in the bus depot, but had seen the benefits of solar and the profits that could be made – her husband is an employee of SunnyMoney. She raised some capital herself and also obtained a […]

John Landon in Namibia

Last year in December John Landon bought a box of 24 SM100 lamps from SolarAid to take to Namibia in southwest Africa where roughly 25% of the 2.5 million population live in slums. Here he tells his story of working with the charity Home of Good Hope to rebuild homes and distribute solar lights to […]

Stanford Njuguna – Solar Champion

Stanford Njuguna has just turned 18 and he is a Solar Champion. He recently returned from Moyale town on the Kenya/Ethiopia border, to deliver a consignment of solar lights. In 2011, Stanford, his mother and two siblings moved to Kinangop after being evicted from their home following ethnic clashes. Several months after moving, there was […]

Solar lighting can save money, reduce eye strain and boost business!

  Justin’s business was transformed after he invested in a solar light and phone charger. Mr Justin Corrihno is a tailor in Kasungu, Malawi. He works at night, and it used to cost him 1,000 Malawian Kwacha (about £1) per night to buy candles that provided poor quality, flickering light to run his business. Since […]

A Tribute to the Late Lucy Njeri Wahome

On 28th February 2018, Solar for Peace Initiative, Kenya, lost one of its leading members. Lucy Njeri, fondly called Mama Solar, fell ill suddenly and died on arrival at the Kenyatta Hospital, Nairobi. Lucy was a natural convert to SolarAid’s mission to eradicate the kerosene lamp from Africa. She was also concerned that over 5 million households in Kenya […]

No one left alone in the dark

  There are over 600 million people in Africa without access to electricity – SolarAid are working to fix that… Because no one should be left alone in the dark. If you like it, please share this little video to help spread the message…

Offset Solar’s commitment to SolarAid’s purpose

Offset Solar is an American solar company with a purpose. They were founded with a very similar belief to SolarAid: that everyone should have access to safe, clean, renewable power. Founded in 2017, Offset is now a key partner of SolarAid and supports our work by making a contribution to our fundraising for each solar […]

Empowering women in Malawi with solar

  In Malawi, women suffering from fistula are often ostracised from their communities. During the treatment period, at the Fistula Care Centre, women are introduced to various business ideas and are trained in business management to provide them with new skills and the ability to earn an income when they return to their communities. Freedom […]