Solar Mamas in Madagascar are bringing light to communities
It's a month of celebrating the immense fortitude and innovation that motherly figures bring to their communities; these grandmothers are showing everyone they can do it all...
Grandmothers are usually seen as the matriarchs in their communities. Their innate ability to keep families and communities together make them the perfect candidates for change.
Not to mention their roles as pillars of support and hope. These values saw a group of grandmothers from a small, remote village in Madagascar push past their limitations and learn a skill that gave their community electricity.
In the village of Ambakivao, four women, Remeza, Kingeline, Yollande, and Hanitra are known as the 'Solar Mamas' bringing light to their community through solar power. All while protecting their ecosystem.
The World Wildlife Fund for Nature says: "Like much of rural Madagascar, where less than 15% of households have access to electricity, Ambakivao has long relied on petroleum lamps to illuminate its homes after dark.
These dim, smoky lamps come with a steep cost: respiratory illnesses, fire hazards, and a dependence on expensive, imported fuel. As in so many villages across the country, darkness limits opportunity."
But not anymore. The introduction of solar power into their village has not only helped them see things better, but it is also helping their children study at night, assisting families in eating without insects in their food, caring for their environment, and providing a safe lifestyle that allows them to care for their health and well-being.
The need for change came from the partnership between WWF Madagascar and Barefoot College International. Barefoot College International is a global training programme that empowers rural women to become solar engineers. One of Madagascar's most significant challenges is access to energy.
"Technical work, as Hanitra explains, is a men’s thing back there in Manambolo. But [at Barefoot College], the ones mastering it are women. It’s thrilling to see that, women and men, we can do it equally," reports the WWF.
This video from the BBC's Instagram page will leave you feeling humbled and inspired.
If you ever thought you were too old to accomplish a new skill, this will teach you otherwise.
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Image Courtesy of iStock