Electricity is essential to study, to create economic opportunities

The majority of families living in rural Sumba, do not have access to electricity! In Indonesia 10.4 million, mostly rural households lived in the dark. Electrification in the country has improved significantly but so far over 2,000 villages have yet to gain access to electricity

Access to electricity facilitates sustainable economic and social growth. First of all, thanks to an increase in academic results. Students who were previously forced to study when the sun was shining can now study by LED light early in the morning or late at night.

Aim

The foundation aims to provide access to reliable and 100% renewable energy sources to several hundred families on the island of Sumba, ending their reliance on fossil fuels and supporting balanced economic development and gender activities. The foundation knows very well where and how we can act. We did much time already.

Simply by offering families solutions using solar energy, by installing a solar panel by family. This will provide electricity to illuminate a small local house, one or two bulbs. What gives children the opportunity to enlighten to study, when they come back from school and for families to develop their economic activities and thus increase their income.

Additional benefits

• Reduce isolation and marginalisation by telephone lines, radio for example;
• Improve safety with the installation of public lighting, illuminated traffic signs;
• Reduce the expense of expensive fossil fuel lamps, kerosene;
• Increase the quality of healthcare provided;
• Create a wealth of job opportunities and help to alleviate poverty

Education

In Indonesia, for schools recently equipped with electricity, interviews with teachers revealed that access to light made it possible to devote extra hours to teaching earlier and later in the day to cover subjects that did not was not properly studied during normal hours.

In addition, schools with access to electricity are able to recruit better teachers and have seen improved test scores and exam success rates which have increased, increasing the human capital entering the workforce. In addition to improved education, rural electrification also allows for greater efficiency and productivity. Businesses will be able to keep their doors open longer and generate additional income. Farmers will have access to modern, streamlined techniques such as irrigation, crop processing and food preservation.

Job creation

When expanding the electrical grid, there is a demand for thousands of jobs ranging from business development to construction. Projects to spread electricity create a wealth of job opportunities and help to alleviate poverty.

For Indonesia, the main stumbling block towards achieving universal electrification is its geography. Indonesia is an archipelagic nation with approximately 17,000 islands spanning 5,000 km. Most of its rural terrain is made of dense rainforests which makes it difficult to build electricity infrastructures like transmission towers and substations.

Over 2,500 villages have yet to gain access to electricity but the state electricity authority (PLN) aims to change that by building more power plants. However, that would only cover approximately 500 villages, leaving 2,000 still in the dark.

Healthcare improvements

The availability of electricity can drastically increase the quality of healthcare provided. Improved lighting increases the time patients can come and get treatment. Refrigerators can be used to conserve incredibly valuable vaccines and blood. Sterilization measures will be improved and the implementation of high tech machines such as x-rays or ultrasound scanners can provide doctors and nurses with the tools they need to perform.

Thank you very much for your concrete help and your love, to offer a bright future to many people and their families, communities also!