News and views

A girl reads by solar light.

Solar can power dreams and create brighter futures

  Globally, 230 million children attend schools without access to electricity, impeding their ability to access quality education. For many, the challenges don’t stop there. At home, children also lack access to light leaving them unable to study and imagine a brighter future as the sun sets. As part of SolarAid’s mission, we are committed […]

Press Release 16/05/2022

SOLARAID: POWERING CHILDREN’S DREAMS   – Charity calls out for collaboration to bring safe and clean light to every school in sub-Saharan Africa. On United Nations International Day of Light (16th May), global development charity SolarAid is pledging to support every school in sub-Saharan Africa to have access to clean, safe, solar lighting by 2030. […]

Tackling the toughest footrace in the world to end energy poverty

  Forty degree heat, howling desert winds and 250 kilometres of endless sand dunes, the Marathon Des Sables isn’t for the faint of heart. This self-sufficient ultra-marathon across the Sahara desert is known as the world’s toughest footrace – and for good reason.  SolarAid supporter, Jon Cross, didn’t let the enormity of this challenge stand […]

Powering Healthcare in Malawi

A report into the challenges which lead to the failure of many solar systems within health clinics in Malawi, how these challenges can be addressed and why solar systems still offer the potential to solve the energy crisis facing rural health facilities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Unlocking the power of women to light up communities

  “I love dancing with the Mayi Walas!” says Mphatso Nsewa, Programme Coordinator for our new Mayi Walas programme in Malawi. When Mphatso and the rest of the SunnyMoney team arrive at a village to meet with women for recruitment, they can already hear the women singing from a distance and they are often greeted […]

Malawi takes bold steps to increase access to solar lights

  We are pleased to report that, after lobbying the Malawian authorities, together with the Renewable Energy Industries Association of Malawi (REIAMA) and the wider solar sector, on the 18th February 2022, the Malawi Government took the decision to remove import duties (15 – 30%) on entry level solar lights. This is hugely important. In […]

Meet the author behind ‘The Magic Sun-Catcher’, Antonia Young

  Antonia Young is the kind of supporter any charity would be lucky to have. Truly passionate about SolarAid’s work and wanting to spread the word, that’s certainly how we feel. If you’ve ever been to West London, you may have even seen her with an 1930s bicycle, fundraising by selling ice cream. “I discovered […]

Lights and books are changing lives in Kachinda Moto

  A twenty minute drive down a dusty, bumpy road from the tarmac in Mankhamba, Central Malawi, sits Kachinda Moto. Surrounded by rolling hills, this small village is teeming with life. But, as the sun sets, a different story emerges. Like in most of sub-Saharan Africa, the evenings quickly turn to darkness. The darkness makes […]