10,000 solar home systems supplied to refugees in Uganda

d.light, a provider of transformational household products are providing 10,000 subsidised solar home systems to refugees who have fled conflict in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and who are now living in refugee camps in Uganda.

The solar home systems consist of three high-efficiency LED lights, an FM radio with MP3 playback, mobile phone charging capability, and a portable solar torch.

The 10,000 units are part of a wider initiative to supply 23,000 solar home systems to Ugandan refugee communities.

The project, which began in April and is scheduled to run for 12 months, is being funded by a $3.4m grant from Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU), a body made up of business associations, companies and public sector agencies in Uganda: and Energising Development (EnDev), an international programme by the German, Dutch, Norwegian and Swiss governments to provide access to affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for delivering social, economic, and environmental change.

d.light’s ambition is to make transformative products available and affordable to low-income families, most ofwhom don’t have access to reliable power or financing. They have sold over 25 million products including solar lanterns, solar home systems, TVs, radios and smartphones, impacting the lives of over 172 million people.

Their vision is to transform the lives of 1 billion people with sustainable products by 2030

The comany’s Managing Director for Uganda Douglas Gavala said, ‘With this grant, we can expand the important work we’re doing to improve living conditions for underserved refugee communities from South Sudan, the DRC and elsewhere who are living in refugee camps in Uganda.

‘A solar home system significantly improves the quality of life and wellbeing of a household – whether it’s providing entertainment or letting a family stay up to date on local and global news on the radio or enabling children to continue reading and studying after dark.

‘As well as benefits at home, d.light products also bolster household income in Uganda’s refugee settlements by extending working hours for tradespeople and small businesses, and providing an income for residents who work as d.light salespeople in the settlements.

‘By providing high-quality solar products at an affordable price, we are improving the quality of life for displaced people while simultaneously encouraging economic activity at a grassroots level.’