For over 1.3 billion people in the world, electricity can change everything
World Map at Night - NASA
In Africa alone, 630 million people do not have electricity
That’s over 1 in 2 people on the continent. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend up to 30% of the family's income on coal, batteries, kerosene, candles and gasoline to access basic energy services. Not only are these archaic energy sources expensive and inefficient, but they contain products that are harmful to the environment and make everyone sick.
But access to electricity means improved living conditions, education, economic development and health - especially for women and kids.
The power to change everything
Living conditions
Electricity dramatically improves the living conditions in rural households.
In Africa, the sun goes down very quickly. After 7, everything goes dark. In remote, off-grid villages, families eat in the dark and promptly go to sleep. It's not good staying up in the night anyways: you can't see snakes or scorpions coming.
EDUCATION
Access to electricity help kids perform at school.
Studying by a flashlight, candle or kerosene lantern is nor safe nor efficient. Access to better light has a huge impact on children performance at school. Moreover, it has been shown that access to information on TV is beneficial to the entire family.
Health
Toxic fumes emitted by burning traditional fuels kill more than HIV an malaria combined.
Switching to clean electricity can save over 76,000 lives weekly. Furthermore, electricity allows rural clinics to operate efficiently even at night, and free women and children from chores like walking for kilometers to fetch water.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Lack of electricity costs Africa 4% of its GDP annually.
On the field, this translates into entrepreneurs struggling to launch and grow businesses. Entire regions are trapped in poverty because they cannot access electricity.
