We are a social enterprise that sought to provide an affordable and clean off-grid lighting system for the world's poor. So, we created the Nuru Light, the most affordable and efficient lighting system in the world.
Rural Retail
Nuru Light screens and selects entrepreneurs from local cooperatives to operate their own microfranchises. Located in the customers' communities, each microfranchise operator ('entrepreneur') will sell lights and then charge the customers a small fee to recharge the lights using the POWERCycle pedal generator. Each entrepreneur earns over $3 per day in profit. Such an income launches an entrepreneur comfortably out of poverty, giving them 3-4 times the national average income, while still saving customers 85% on lighting. Because Nuru Light targets female entrepreneurs, the earnings are more likely to be spent on the education, health, and nutrition of their children.
Urban Retail
In cities and slums throughout the developing world, millions have access for only a few hours a day. We have designed the POWERGrid for these situations, with which families can charge lights when they have access to power and use the lights when the power is out. Microfinance banks will give microloans to families to buy five lights and one POWERGrid charger."