Communities

The SONG project is focused on two communities in Kenya and Bangladesh respectively. In Kenya, the two communities are Lemolo B and Echareria in Nakuru County, and in Bangladesh, the two communities are Faitang Refugee Camp and Baroihati, Mymensingh.

The project is motivated by the belief that it is important to focus on small community-scale renewable energy projects as well as large scale, as they democratize energy by uplifting rural communities which would otherwise be left behind.

Rural communities like these often rely on kerosene and/or diesel to generate power, which are potentially harmful to both personal health and the environment. SONGs aim to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to these small off-grid communities. SONGs are designed to:

• Improve food security by powering crop irrigation and grain-processing machines
• Reduce indoor air pollution by reducing the use of fossil fuels such as kerosene and diesel
• Enhance the conservation of landscapes by reducing the unsustainable exploitation of natural resources
• Stimulate local economic growth by powering appliances such as milling machines, egg incubators and sewing machines which can be used to produce marketable commodities

The project also recognises that while it is important to provide clean energy to improve general quality of life, it is equally vital that this energy be used to empower women, improve health, increase children’s educational attainment, and boost the local economy in a sustained manner.

For example, in Kenya, children from electrified households gain roughly two more years of ‘educational achievement’ relative to those from non-electrified households.