Solar Sister

Solar Sister eradicates energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity. They combine the breakthrough potential of clean energy technology with a deliberately woman-centered direct sales network to bring light, hope and opportunity to even the most remote communities in rural Africa. Investing in women is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. Solar Sister creates sustainable businesses, powered by smart investment in women entrepreneurs. When you invest in a woman, you invest in the future. MISSION Solar Sister eradicates energy poverty by empowering women with economic opportunity. They are creating a deliberately woman-centered direct sales network to bring the breakthrough potential of clean energy technology to even the most remote communities in rural Africa. VISION Light, hope, and opportunity for everyone, everywhere. Solar Sister believes in a world where women, girls, and their communities have access to the sustainable energy they need to create a prosperous life. Solar Sister supports women and girls in rural Africa by providing access to clean, dependable renewable energy, enabling them to lift themselves, their families and their communities out of poverty.  Energy poverty is a critical component of global poverty. In sub-Saharan households, 75% of homes have no access to network electricity. The indoor air pollution caused by the smoke emitted from burning wood and kerosene for light and cooking is responsible for 1.6 million deaths per year. On average, women spend 25% of their time fetching wood for cooking and heat. Time which could otherwise be spent on more productive tasks. At the village level, energy poverty means you can’t pump clean water regularly, there’s no communications, no way to have adult literacy classes, and no way to run computers at schools or have connectivity. It places a limit on the activities of an individual and on a community. Education, health and safety and economic opportunity are seriously impacted by lack of reliable, clean, affordable electricity. It is mostly women in rural villages that bear the burden of energy poverty. They are the ones that walk for miles every day to fetch water for cooking, drinking, cleaning. They are the ones who spend hours collecting wood for cooking. The burden of subsistence falls on the women and girls in a village. They sacrifice education and opportunity to basic survival. Simply by giving these women and girls access to clean, dependable solar electricity, they can alleviate the burden of energy poverty and change lives.