As we look back on 2025, we’re reminded of what becomes possible when determination meets community.
Thanks to our supporters, our teams, and the extraordinary resilience of the communities we work alongside, this year has been a year of bold steps, pioneering models, and milestones once thought out of reach. And yet, it still feels like we’re only just getting started.
It’s been inspiring to reflect on the determination of our supporters, funders, and teams. Together, you’ve run, swum, cycled and walked 14,267.31 miles to bring safe, clean light to families living without electricity. Around the world there have been bake sales, Light Parties, and corporate events, all united by one goal: to light up the hardest-to-reach communities.
This year, we also welcomed remarkable new corporate partners with whom we share a strong sense of purpose. We are so thrilled to have become the official global charity partner of RS Group – a collaboration we are incredibly excited about as we work together over the next three years to make amazing happen for a brighter world.
Another highlight was bringing the impact of light to life at the Solar & Storage Live Awards, engaging hundreds of attendees from across the solar sector. We also secured SolarAid’s largest grant to date from EKOenergy, a catalytic investment in the Energy Business programme in Malawi that will support the initiative from launch through to long-term sustainability over the next four years.
I’m incredibly proud of all we have achieved together in 2025, not only in the number of families we reached with clean, safe light, but in how we reached them. This has been a year of pushing further into the hardest-to-reach communities, proving that even the most remote households can be served through ground breaking, community-led and scalable models. It’s work that lays the foundation for a 2026 in which even more families, especially those long left behind, will be able to thrive after sunset.
Lights are now on at night in T/A Kasakula, Malawi. Photo: SolarAid/Kondwani Jere.
One of the most significant moments of the year, and in our organisation’s history, was reaching 100% Energy Access in Kasakula, Malawi. Every single household in one of the poorest and most remote communities in one of the poorest countries in Africa has now been connected to a solar home system. This is a first. It was made possible through profound collaboration with the community, crucial funding from generous supporters, and a bold commitment set from the very beginning: 100% access for every household.
For me, it was an honour to celebrate this achievement in August with the team, the community, and Chief Kasakula. It was an incredible moment to see Chief Kasakula installing the last solar home system in Sadya Buleya’s and Charity Moyo Buleya’s house. Sadya told us, “Since solar lights came here, I have been one of the happiest people because of this development…people now have access to lighting. Over the years, I have seen how much the community has benefitted.”
Charity Moyo Buleya’s household marked a reach of 100% access to solar light in T/A Kasakula. From left: Brave Mhonie, General Manager, SolarAid Malawi; Chief Kasakula; Charity Moyo Buleya; John Keane, CEO, SolarAid. Photo: SolarAid/Kondwani Jere.
Moments like these matter. They mark real progress on the long journey toward universal access. Kasakula is the first community in Malawi to achieve 100% access, but it must not be the last. Looking ahead to 2026, we are working with the government and partners to scale this model across the district and ultimately the whole of Malawi.
And we are excited to share that we now have the plans and funding to begin replicating this model in Zambia backed up by the Government of Ireland International Development Programme. Watch this space!
A crucial partner in the Kasakula success was REAL Programme Catalyst. In 2025 REAL continued to grow, and reach more communities across sub-Saharan Africa through its Solar-Home-System-as-a-Service (SHSaaS) model.
REAL has been building partnerships, scaling pilots, and further developing its blueprint to advance its project pipeline. It has successfully engaged government, finance and development leaders to accelerate progress toward universal access, and SolarAid is proud to host REAL as it develops.
In Madagascar, as part of the Solar United Madagascar consortium, our partners continued reaching some of the poorest and most remote communities on the planet. Nearly 8,000 rural homes have been provided with clean lighting through the rental of solar-powered power banks. Also, solar-powered student and teacher tablets are now in 15 schools, reaching more than 3,000 students. In 2026, we’ll continue working with partners to build on the existing services, deepening our understanding of energy needs within these communities, and exploring how to meet them.
While we are excited by these new models, partnerships and innovations, we also know the foundation of long-term energy access lies in supporting local solar entrepreneurs. This year we continued partnering with entrepreneurs in Malawi and Zambia through our core model, now with an even greater focus on sustainability.
Solar Entrepreneur Mengezi N’Cube together with his customer Olive Hamasamu, Zambia. Photo: SolarAid/Jason Mulikita
Together with partners, we are highlighting the importance of access to repair across sub-Saharan Africa, especially for customers in the most remote areas. In 2026, we are excited to launch the Off-Grid Repair Lab, bringing together sector partners with a shared commitment to extending the life of systems and contributing to improved circularity, benefitting both customers and the environment.
As 2025 draws to a close, I am incredibly proud of the hard work across our organisation and among our partners. We have momentum, and we need it. 2030 is drawing closer, and there is no time to waste. That’s why we are so deeply grateful for our remarkable supporters. That’s you. Thank you.
In 2026, SolarAid will mark 20 years. As we reach this milestone, we hope you’ll join us in reflecting not only on the year just passed, but on two decades of partnership, progress and possibility, and on the families whose futures are brighter because of you.