Increasing women’s economic independence and accelerating energy access
Supporting rural women to launch their own sustainable businesses is a win-win. Studies show that improving women’s income opportunities not only benefits the woman, their family, and the community - it also drives economic development for the country. Women are more likely to invest their income into healthcare, education and welfare - playing a significant role in bringing their communities out of poverty.
In addition to this, growing research shows that women are best-placed to bring renewable energy to their communities. As primary users of household energy, they are the ones who suffer most from energy poverty, but they are also perfectly placed to approach female customers, and spread the word about clean, safe and affordable solar energy.
That’s why, in partnership with Lendwithcare, SolarAid has launched a new programme to recruit, train and support women in rural Malawi to run thriving solar light businesses and provide access to quality solar products within their communities.
The programme is called Mayi Walas which means ‘Shining Mothers’ in Chichewa, Malawi’s national language, and was created to tackle three key problems:
- Energy access in Malawi: 82% of the population in Malawi do not have access to electricity. Instead, families rely on poor quality torches or, worse, candles and kerosene to light their homes after dark.
- Women and energy access: energy poverty disproportionately affects women and girls. As primary users of energy in the home, they are hit hardest by the effects of indoor air pollution, which now kills more people each year than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined (WHO 2018).
- Women and business: women in rural Africa face far more barriers than men in launching and growing successful businesses due to balancing the demands of household responsibilities and a lack of access to training, financial services and business opportunities.
Elina Kapile, 49, lives in Chimwemwe village in Malawi. She runs a small rice business and is one of the newly recruited members of the village Mayi Walas group. Through her rice business, Elina knows her customers very well as she sells the rice by visiting each home. However, it is difficult for Elina to make a profit as there is a lot of competition. It is also very time-consuming and she must balance the demands of her business with the responsibilities she has at home raising her five children.
Despite the challenges they face, women like Elina are key change-makers in providing energy access to rural communities where the majority of families often do not have access to electricity. Many families use kerosene lamps which are expensive, polluting and too often lead to injuries and preventable deaths.
With an already established loyal customer base and the significant need for safe, clean and affordable electricity, we hope that Elina and the other new Mayi Walas group members will soon become thriving solar entrepreneurs - increasing their economic independence and accelerating energy access across rural Malawi.
Chimwemwe village Mayi Walas group. Elina Kapile is third from the right.
We are currently working with Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) to recruit and train female entrepreneurs to form the first groups of Mayi Walas. After training in financial management, marketing and solar products, each Mayi Wala group receives their first box of solar lights on an interest-free loan funded by Lendwithcare lenders. The model has been designed to ensure that after 12 months the women are running self-sustaining businesses. The Mayi Walas programme aims to bring everything necessary for Elina and the women in her, and other VSLA groups across the country, to launch successful and sustainable solar businesses within their own communities.
Thanks to support from Lendwithcare lenders, we have now funded the loans of our first five Mayi Wala groups and they are actively selling clean, safe and affordable solar lights in their communities. Over the next 18 months, together we will support a total of 150 groups (1,500 Mayi Walas women) to launch their own solar businesses.
At SolarAid, we recognise that having women at the forefront of our work is essential to achieving our mission of lighting up every home, school and clinic in Africa by 2030, using safe, clean, solar power. We want to thank Lendwithcare lenders for your support so far, we look forward to establishing many more ‘Shining Mothers’ of Malawi together.
If you aren't a lender already, you can join Lendwithcare here to directly support the women of Mayi Walas when loans become available to fund.