Two of the biggest threats facing humanity today are climate change and global poverty. SolarAid helps to combat both by bringing clean, renewable power to the poorest people in the world.
 
 
Power to the people
SolarAid works in rural areas across East and Southern Africa; installing solar on schools, community centres and clinics. This is known as macrosolar.
 
Barely 2% of rural Africa has access to the grid yet many regions of Africa have the highest levels of sunshine in the world. SolarAid works with these remote and disadvantaged communities, helping them tap into an abundant source of free, clean and renewable energy - the sun! Zambia Projects Activities started with the support of Vodafone and Global Cool. Initially the project focused on training people living with HIV/AIDS so that they could build solar products and sell them to the rural population. This was a way to generate extra income for food, medicine and homecare for them and their relatives living with HIV/AIDS. Now the model has shifted to recruit franchisees as part of sunnymoney. The project also aims to install 300W systems on schools, community centres and health clinics over four years.
 
The office is based in Lusaka. Installations in schools have been carried out in Chipata, Infuro, and Singani. The team has also been scouting in Eastern and Northern Zambia for new school sites.

Project outcomes
-Reduction in carbon emissions because of the replacement of carbon-intensive kerosene lamps with solar powered devices.
-Improved health for the most disadvantaged people. The project will help achieve this programme outcome by training people living with HIV/AIDS and/or their relatives to set up solar micro-businesses so that they can earn more and pay for home-based care, medication and food.
-Improved access to sustainable financial resources for the most disadvantaged people. The project will train people in business planning, market research, sales and microsolar skills so that they can sell solar products in rural areas and generate income.
-Improved literacy and health levels due to greater access to lighting and electricity in schools as well as in health and community centres. Pupils will be able to use the internet and take evening classes. Health clinics and maternity wards will be able to stay open later and gain access to power for vaccine refrigeration."