Accessing clean energy and tapping into inexhaustible resources to fulfill our daily needs have both been the dreams of many environmentalists for a long time. However, the labor required to set up an industry dedicated only to clean energy sometimes seemed to outweigh the benefits; until now that is.
Women in Maharashtra and Bihar have begun to use clean energy, not only in their homes, but also as a means to improve their own financial stability. In certain areas, where access to gas stoves and electricity is limited, these women, powered by NGO Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), make solar-powered cooking stoves and lamps and sell them to rural households.
The entrepreneurial initiative started by SSP, was aimed at achieving three goals at once: to provide amenities to areas that would otherwise not have them, to help cut down the use of fuel drastically, and lastly, to help women in rural areas earn a living and take care of their families.
Varsha Pawar, of Osmanabad district in Maharashtra, for instance, was like any other housewife before she found an identity as a clean energy entrepreneur in her village. She sold more than 800 solar lanterns, and today, she is the sarpanch (village council chief) of Tirth Khurd. “Earlier I could not even move out of the house. Today none of the decisions are made without my consent”, she proudly states.
By creating a network of 1,100 clean energy women entrepreneurs, not only did SSP help to empower communities of women as well as improve the quality of the environment. And it earned the NGO a UN climate award this year. We hope that it continues to bring light, hope and opportunity to women and communities in rural India.
For more information on Swayam Shikshan Prayog, browse their website and follow them on Facebook
Featured image source: FutureEnTech
Written by Priya Unni
