Schoolgirls in Zambia will receive solar lanterns to assist them in their studies, while women in Fiji will benefit from solar cookers thanks to President Ann Garvie’s See Solar, Cook Solar Appeal. These are the first two projects to be announced as beneficiaries of the December 10 Appeal; they were selected by the SIGBI and SISWP Federations.

Soroptimist International is also launching the Appeal logo today, designed by volunteer Roberta Mantovani.

Solar lanterns for School Girls in Rural Zambia

"Living without lights at night is dangerous and limiting. It is particularly a problem for schoolchildren.  If they can’t study after dark, it hinders their academic progress."  Dorothy Kasanda, Deputy Executive Director and Head of Education for Camfed Zambia. 

Girls in rural Zambia face multiple barriers to succeeding in school. Less than 20% of rural women progress to secondary school, while only 1.5% complete their secondaryeducation.

Even for those girls who are able to stay in school, the lack of reliable electricity makes studying outside of the classroom verydifficult; they are often dependent on polluting kerosene lamps.

“The lamps will help extend the hours of study period for us as we only used to study during the day when there was enough light.”  Student at Chilubi Secondary School, Zambia,

Since 2012, SI Lurgan (UK) have partnered with girls’education charity Camfed to provide solar lanterns to female students in Zambia, to help them study.  Camfed works to support girls in 671 schools across 27 districts of Zambia. Through this partnership, 100 lanterns have already been distributed, including at Chilubi Secondary School in the north of the country. This district is over 350km from Kasama, the provincial capital, has few facilities and frequently lacks power. Many girls live on the mainland and have to travel by boat each day to get to school on Chilubi island, situated in Lake Bangweulu.

Local community advisors identify girls who would benefit most from the solar lamps, typically those preparing for exams. The lights are sourced from Solar Aid a supplier in Zambia so it will contribute to the local economy.

See Solar Cook Solar will enable Camfed to provide lanterns to many more girls identified by their communities as being most in need of support. The provision of solar lamps will make a real difference to their ability to study, boosting academic achievement and confidence.

Solar Cookers in Fiji

In Fiji, See Solar, Cook Solar will provide solar cookers to women in remote rural and island locations, providing a safer, more economical and environmentally sustainable alternative to traditional kerosene stoves. 

Soroptimist International clubs in Fiji are working to develop this programme with the Ministry of Women, Welfare and Poverty Alleviation, who are already promoting solar lighting in remote areas, while educating, empowering and enabling opportunities for women and girls. For example, 10 women aged 45-60 were trained as solar engineers, helping to share solar power in their communities. See Solar, Cook Solar will allow the existing solar initiative to be extended to solar cooking.

See Solar, Cook Solar Appeal

Every year, on Human Rights Day (December 10) the President
of Soroptimist International invites all Soroptimists to join her in supporting
a Soroptimist project that improves the lives of women and girls through
improving access to education and/or leadership opportunities.  For
2013-2015, President Ann Garvie launched the See Solar, Cook Solar appeal,
to  support Soroptimist projects all over the world that educate women
about renewable energy and empower and enable opportunities for them by providing
solar lanterns and cookers. Soroptimist International Federations were asked to
put forward existing or new solar projects to benefit from the appeal.

 

The logo for the Appeal was designed by volunteer Roberta Mantovani,  currently working in Advertising Art Direction in Barcelona, Spain.

President Ann will be taking to the skies to raise money for
her appeal, overcoming her fear of heights to carry out a sponsored skydive on
15th June.  Read
more about President Ann’s “See Solar, Cook Solar” skydive.

To donate to See Solar, Cook Solar, Soroptimists should
send donations to their Federation HQ.

More about See Solar, Cook Solar