Main fundraiser photo

#SmallBusinessRelief for Solar Sister

Tax deductible
#SmallBusinessRelief

No one should have to face a pandemic in the dark. But that’s currently the stark reality for over 600 million people across Sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to electricity. Enter Solar Sister.

Since 2010, Solar Sister has recruited, trained, and supported over 4,500 women to deliver clean energy directly to homes in rural African communities, where people need it the most. We provide ongoing mentorship, training, and support, enabling women entrepreneurs to build and sustain renewable energy businesses in their communities.

Now more than ever, our community needs us, and we need you.

The work we do is crucial, even more so in this time of global crisis. 

COVID-19 threatens to overload health systems in low and middle-income countries, where our entrepreneurs live and work. These communities often lack infrastructure and healthcare resources, putting people at an even greater risk for medical complications related to the pandemic. Access to clean, reliable electricity is imperative for resilient healthcare. In 2013, researchers found that roughly 1 in 4 healthcare facilities surveyed across Sub-Saharan Africa does not have access to electricity (Heather Adair-Rohani et al., 2013). That’s why we have already partnered with local healthcare facilities in rural Tanzania to deliver 800 Philips Life Light solar home systems to power lifesaving medical equipment, and are also looking to find ways to support the healthcare system in Nigeria. 

Furthermore, many of our women entrepreneurs are the primary or sole person responsible for providing and caring for their families, and the disruptions to the local economy caused by COVID-19 puts their livelihoods, and perhaps even lives, at risk. Government mandates and travel restrictions have made it increasingly challenging for our entrepreneurs to reach their customers with clean energy products, as many rely on public transportation. Day-by-day we are making every effort to adapt to these challenges. We are modifying our business model to enable more remote selling, mentorship, and support for our entrepreneurs. 

As COVID-19 continues to spread, the future has never felt so unpredictable. With the pandemic’s economic toll creating financial uncertainty for small social enterprises, like Solar Sister, we need your help to ensure that we can continue to provide power and support our entrepreneurs with the resources they need to survive. We will do whatever it takes. Are you with us?

If you are in a position to contribute and have the means to take action, please make a donation today so that  we can keep delivering light, hope, and opportunity to vulnerable populations across Sub-Saharan Africa during a time when the world could use a little more brightness. No dollar amount is too small.

If you are unable to donate at this time, you can advocate for us by sharing Solar Sister’s mission with a family member, a friend or a co-worker.

Thank you for being part of our community and helping us deliver power during this pandemic.

Donate

Donations 

  • Nina & Martin Schlatter
    • $200 
    • 4 yrs
Donate

Organizer

Alicia Oberholzer
Organizer
Great Falls, VA
Solar Sister Inc
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.

Your easy, powerful, and trusted home for help

  • Easy

    Donate quickly and easily.

  • Powerful

    Send help right to the people and causes you care about.

  • Trusted

    Your donation is protected by the  GoFundMe Giving Guarantee.