SolarAid wins Charity Awards International Aid & Development category
Melanie May | 12 July 2024 | News
SolarAid took the top prize in the International Aid & Development category at the 2024 Charity Awards this week, winning for its Light a Village project in Malawi.
The project was piloting the free installation of plug-and-play solar home energy systems in Kasakula, one of the country’s poorest communities, after finding that even the poorest families could generally afford to pay for the energy they used, provided they didn’t need to pay for the cost of installation.
SolarAid has now installed the systems in a third of Kasakula’s 7,500 households, and the project is being rolled out to the rest of the community this year, to achieve universal energy access in the area. Solar enterprises in Senegal, Sierra Leone and Madagascar have also expressed interest in replicating the scheme
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Fundraising for the project
The project also had a significant fundraising element, which took place over three years. Phase one was to trial the idea of Light a Village, which was high risk as no one had used this approach in Africa. SolarAid approached a major donor, the Turner Kirk Trust, who had provided funding with (in their words) “permission to fail” in the past. They gave £75k to fund the test, which enabled SolarAid to trial the idea in 500 homes, and the Trust also helped promote and endorse it.
In year two Year two the Turner-Kirk Trust offered to match fund the second phase, which needed £240k. SolarAid achieved the match, with ten funders giving a minimum of £10k including two major donors, and one corporate (EDF Renewables). This enabled the charity to install a further 2,000 homes.
This year (year three), SolarAid has worked to raise the remaining funds – £600k – to achieve 100% access and provide solar power to all 7,500 homes in Kasakula and 10 schools. With the evidence that its approach is working, SolarAid has been able to approach larger funders and has now secured the final commitments to provide the £600k needed. This has come from foundations and EDF Renewables, with donors from the previous phase also continuing to give.
In total SolarAid has raised almost £1mn for the project and expects to install the final system later this year.
Commenting on the project, SolarAid Fundraising Director Richard Turner said:
“It’s one of the most inspiring projects I have had the pleasure of fundraising for in my 35-year career to date!”
Alongside the nine other category winners, the Overall Winner (won by LandWorks) and the recipient of the Daniel Phelan Award for Outstanding Achievement (Paul Farmer OBE), SolarAid was presented with the trophy at a black-tie ceremony at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 9 July, hosted by broadcaster, commentator and writer Baroness Ayesha Hazarika.
Matt Nolan, Chief Executive of Civil Society Media which organises the Charity Awards, said:
“In 2024, the sector is contending with soaring costs, rising demand and shrinking donations, yet the resilience, ambition and innovation in these applications continues to impress and inspire us. In a year of record entries, SolarAid should be hugely proud of this prize.”
John Keane, Chief Executive at SolarAid, said:
“We are deeply honoured to receive this award. This recognition underscores the significant impact of our groundbreaking ‘Light a Village’ initiative, which brings solar energy to the poorest and remotest communities, demonstrating that it is possible to achieve universal access to energy for all. It is a testament to the dedication of our team and the support of our partners and donors. Together, we are lighting up the path to a brighter, more sustainable future.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.