We have just received official confirmation from our SunnyMoney teams in Africa that we have smashed through the half a million solar light barrier.
Our teams sold a further 58,000 lights in May taking us up to the grand total of 517,265. That’s a potential reach of over 3 million rural Africans.
Not bad for a charity that only began its solar projects back in 2006.
As stated in a previous article, the majority of our sales have come in the last few months. We have refined our distribution model, catalyzed demand, earned consumer trust and shown the world the life changing capabilities of one small solar light.
Three of our teams even managed to eclipse their best monthly sales figures.
All research indicates that this trajectory is set to continue. There are still over 500 million people living without one of modern life’s basic essentials – clean, affordable light. We know the demand is there and are confident that we can transfer our solar projects in to other countries.
News of our impact is already making headlines. Google recognized the scale of our projects by making us a Global Impact Award winner, many other organisations are now beginning to emulate our work and The World Bank and Lighting Africa are supporting solar projects. We are catalyzing the market. The future is looking brighter for everybody.
Of course, this is just the beginning of a long and exciting journey, but one which we are sure will bring relief to regions that are locked in to a cycle of fuel poverty – empowering millions to strive towards better education, nutrition andhealthcare standards.
We are an international charity that never shirks a tough challenge and have set our sights even higher this year. We have sold half a million solar lights in our six year history. We intend to sell a further half a million by the end the year.
As if you needed further proof?
With impeccable timing our Social Impact & Research Manager, Kat Harrison, and her team have undertaken some research in areas of Tanzania and Kenya as yet untouched by our solar projects.
Kat and her team note that in Uasin Gishu, Kenya, over 80% of those interviewed have no access to electricity or a regular income, with some spending up to 40% of what they do earn on kerosene just for lighting. The situation is more startling in Dodoma, Tanzania, where over 70% of households do not have a regular income and a staggering 98% are without access to electricity.
In both regions nearly all those interviewed said they would be interested in buying a solar light but did not know where to get one from.
The good news is of course, that both of these regions will soon have access to solar power through our School Campaigns allowing children to study longer, families to save money and households to reduce indoor air pollution.