Solarcentury Aids To The SolarAid Fund
Solarcentury has this year donated £125,000 worth of solar panels and cash to SolarAid, the charity founded to tackle poverty and climate change with solar power. Solarcentury, founded in 1999 to address the threat of climate change established SolarAid in 2006 to bring this mission to the developing world. Since then, the charity has raised over £10 million for its work in Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.
The £95,000 worth of solar panels donated by the company will bring electricity to 50 schools in Zambia; as part of the charity's' schools programme. SolarAid has equipped 178 schools across East Africa with solar, seeing marked improvements in exam performance and the reduction of fuel bills in those schools with the technology.
Steve Andrews, CEO, SolarAid said: "When SolarAid puts solar panels on a school in Africa, something magic happens: exam results start to improve quickly. Solarcentury's gift of solar panels is enabling our team to bring electricity to 50 schools in Zambia; improving the prospects and hopes of thousands of children. We are incredibly grateful for their vision and generosity.
A further £35,000 has also been donated by Solarcentury to "˜Sunny Schools', SolarAid's UK education programme, working with UK primary school teachers to help educate about renewable energy, climate change and development. The "˜Sunny Schools' programme is part of Solarcentury's "˜Solar4Schools', helping to equip UK schools with solar power. Solar4Schools has worked with over 250 schools to reduce their carbon footprint and electricity bills with solar in the UK, also helping schools go solar in Italy.
Derry Newman, CEO, Solarcentury said: "SolarAid has gone from strength to strength, their work proving that solar power really can empower society. Here at Solarcentury we're working to ensure solar power becomes a key part of our energy mix, and it is clearly making a real difference to lives is in the developing world. We support the work of SolarAid wherever we can, whether it be fundraising, with staff time or management support."
SolarAid's work has two main strands. One, to increase access to solar for schools in the developed world; the other to replace dangerous and expensive kerosene lamps with simple and affordable solar powered lights. By training local business entrepreneurs, the "˜Sunny Money' social enterprise programme has now sold 24,272 solar lights and trained over 800 business people, bringing clean power, more disposable income and an employment to many. Adding gravitas to its power, in 2010 "˜The Solar Lamp', as distributed by SolarAid, was chosen by The British Museum and the BBC as the object that defined the challenges of the modern day world, as part of the series "˜The history of the world in100 objects".
Many of Solarcentury's 120 employees have volunteered and raised money for SolarAid since 2006, with 5% of its profits going to the charity. In 2009, Solarcentury and SolarAid won the National Fundraising Award for best Business and Charity partnership and the Corporate Social Responsibility Project of the Year Award at the Charity Times Awards.
