Empowering Women to Light Villages in Nepal

Women Light The World Summer Update

We are very proud to announce that in the past six months Women Light The World and its education partner, Barefoot College International, received a grant from the New Zealand Embassy in India.  This grant is targeted to fund our extensive work in the Humla region of Nepal, where we are committed to bringing solar electrification to 1,285 households, as we empower the local women in this area at the same time. This grant will enable us to commence our first solar electrification project for 35 households in the village of Torpa.

Additionally, in June of this year, we were awarded a grant from the United Nations Development Programme. This grant will enable us to begin electrification of the village of Bargaun, where there are 80 households. 

While our installation of solar home lighting systems was temporarily halted because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, we were able to initiate an additional project to enable local, village women to earn money—and simultaneously, help keep residents safe from COVID.  We purchased five sewing machines for our Solar Mamas, enabling them to establish a social enterprise, establishing a small-scale, mask-making business. To date, the Humla women have received orders for 300 masks from the local hospital and 125 masks from Mega Bank.  (Not coincidentally, Mega Bank is headed by a woman, also, and she is the first female CEO of a bank in Nepal.)  Our local teams on the ground are helping us locate additional sources for orders for these locally crafted masks.

As a result of this project, we are particularly pleased to report that three Solar Mamas opened their first bank accounts! This was thrilling for them and for us.

Our teams from the United States, Nepal, and India are planning to come together in Nepal in mid-October, pending COVID-19 travel limitations; we will then begin the installation process of the solar home lighting systems more aggressively.