Solar initiative brings power to clinics and jobs to displaced youths in Cameroon.
Cameroonian company Solar Bright Future has trained at least 300 young people displaced by war to install solar power in health facilities in the Northwest, and it has equipped 164 so far.
Solar Bright Future, a Cameroonian clean-energy company, has spent three years training young people displaced by the civil war, drawn from the Northwest, to install and maintain solar power systems in health facilities, Mongabay reported. The company is a subsidiary of the local nonprofit Action for Advancing Sustainable Development (CAASDEV). At least 300 men and women between 18 and 35 have completed the training.
According to the report, more than 100 maternity wards now benefit from solar power. Across all facility types, the company has equipped 164 health facilities: 41 with lighting systems and 123 with solar units that power vaccine cold chains. The cold-chain systems include temperature monitoring. Depending on capacity, the systems can also run equipment such as ultrasound machines and sterilization devices.
The fighting has lasted 10 years and has cut off job opportunities for young people and weakened public services. Rural communities face severe electricity shortages, and clinics often lack the power for lighting or for refrigerating vaccines. Chief executive Ndze Noel Lifogha told Mongabay the idea grew from an incident at a clinic without electricity, where a displaced woman's newborn twins reportedly died after a kerosene lamp started a fire.
Trainees complete a three-month program in which they support the health facilities. They receive certificates recognized by Cameroon's Ministry of Vocational Training. "At least 60% of our graduates have already found a job, whether formal or informal," Lifogha said. He added that 20% have started their own businesses providing energy services. Graduate Kudus Sony Kangimi, 31, a former security guard, said: "From guarding gates to leading green solutions that bring light and cleanliness to my community, I have found purpose."
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which supports solar projects in crisis-affected Cameroonian communities, says more than 1,200 health facilities in the areas served by the project still face severe electricity shortages. Solar Bright Future is a finalist in the "Resilience" category of the "Heroes of Tomorrow: U.N. SDG Action Awards." Winners are to be announced on Oct. 29.
At a Glance
- At least 300 displaced people aged 18 to 35 have been trained over three years to install and maintain solar systems.
- Solar Bright Future has equipped 164 health facilities: 41 with lighting and 123 with solar vaccine cold-chain units.
- Lifogha says at least 60% of graduates have found work and 20% have started their own businesses.
- UNDP says more than 1,200 health facilities in the project's areas still face severe electricity shortages.
- The program is a finalist in the Resilience category of the U.N. SDG Action Awards, with winners announced Oct. 29.
Sources
This brief was written by Brightside Report from the reporting linked above. Spot an error? Request a correction.